Clan Contracts
by colbogey
Summary: Upon returning from his training trip with Jiraya, Naruto is recognized as the head of the Uzumaki Clan, and offered an intriguing contract. He begins to work towards his mother's dream of reviving the Uzumaki Clan in Konoha. Meanwhile, other members of the Konoha 12 also gradually get paired off. Arranged Marriage. NarutoxIno. Loyal Sasuke.
1. Chapter 1

(7 months after this story was first published)

Hello and welcome. This story was originally called Shinobi Politics, and I had plans to make it a political thriller. However, it very quickly devolved into something much different. That being said, I've had a ton of fun writing it, but the title change needed to happen. I decided to change the title a couple months ago, and yet didn't actually go through with it until now.

This is a much more light hearted story than a political thriller, and focuses around Naruto being put into an arranged marriage and attempting to rebuild the Uzumaki Clan. Meanwhile, many other members of the Konoha 12 are also put into marriage contracts. Sasuke tries to rebuild the Uchiha (he doesn't leave for Orochimaru), and Tsunade works on rebuilding the Senju, though through a different method than Naruto and Sasuke use.

Anyways, please enjoy.

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

* * *

After the 9-Tails destroyed much of Konoha and killed the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze, Konoha was a mess, both literally and politically. A sad, grieving Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, reluctantly took up the position of Hokage once more. But in his grief he was distracted, and unwittingly was manipulated by Danzo. Danzo convinced him to give up much of his political power through the establishment of a civilian wing of the village council, and giving the council far reaching oversight in Konoha. A change from the Quasi-military dictatorship the village had been prior to the attack.

The new council's power was over all things civilian, and even over various aspects of shinobi affairs and clan life as well. The new, heavily civilian council, changed many laws in regards to the shinobi system and the relationship between the village and clans. The council even thwarted several attempts to adopt a boy they viewed as a demon. Including adoption attempts by council members such as Shibi Aburame and Shikaku Nara, along with an attempt by a young, up and coming ninja named Kakashi Hatake. Only the direct intervention of the 3rd Hokage saved the boy's life and allowed him to become a shinobi. Unbeknownst to the civilian councilors, and Danzo, but beknownst to us, that 'demon' boy would go on to do great things, and the 3rd's replacement would make it her mission to right all the wrongs the council had made.

* * *

 _-Konoha, The Hokage's Office. 1 week after Tsunade became Hokage-_

Tsunade clenched her fists in frustration. That was not how she expected her first council meeting as the 5th Hokage to go. She knew that after the death of the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze, her sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had resumed his old position as the 3rd Hokage.

In his old age he had allowed civilians to take seats on the council, and as the years went on they consolidated a great deal of political power. Too much political power if you ask her. Not only that, but it was clear that the Shinobi on the council were not a unified front. It was a mess. *sigh* _How_ _ _did I let the pervert and that blond brat talk me into this?__ _,_ she thought, __I need some sake.__

Sitting on the other side of her desk was the village's second in command, the jonin commander, Shikaku Nara. As head of the Nara Clan he was one of the most senior members of the council, and after the disastrous meeting Tsunade had pulled him into her office for a debriefing. Tsunade herself had once held the Senju Clan's seat on the council, but she had been gone from the village for around 15 years, and clearly lots of things had changed.

As Tsunade activated a privacy seal, fuinjutsu that prevented anyone from spying on or overhearing the conversation, Shikaku began the debriefing. "Lord Third gave the civilians lots of influence over their own affairs. Danzo and the other elders had suggested this, supposedly because of their concern for his old age, but in reality as a way to gain their own political power. They courted the civilian members of the council and won them over, so the civilians, while influential on their own, are nothing more than puppets for Danzo and his anti-Will of Fire Faction." "Right, I can see that, Shikaku, why do they have more influence on the council than the shinobi?"

"Pretty simple Hokage-sama. There are 10 seats on the council for the 10 shinobi clans of Konoha, 10 for the various civilians, most of whom are either the heads of merchant guilds and labor guilds. Some are ministers governing the civilians, which by the way keeps some paperwork off your desk. Then there are the three seats for the elders, all with yourself as chairwoman.

Theoretically this puts the clans and the civilians on even footing, with the elders leaning towards the clans since they are retired Shinobi themselves, thus giving the Shinobi a slight edge over the civilians. However the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki seats have been vacant for some time, meaning there are only 7 clans represented right now.

Even then we have our own internal divisions. Akimichi, Nara, Sarutobi, and Yamanaka are a very united front and essentially vote the same way on everything, completely in line with the philosophy of the Will of Fire. Aburame and Inuzuka generally side with us, but not always. They want to be loyal to the Will of Fire, but will vote against it for something that is clearly in their own interests.

Hyuga will sometimes side with us, and sometimes not, really it's 50/50. They don't have any particular loyalty to the Will of Fire faction, and often join Danzo's faction in the voting, depending on the issue of course.

When you factor in that the elders have coopted the civilian council members into their Anti-Will of Fire faction, very rarely does Lord Third's Will of Fire ever shine through in council meetings. It's often outvoted 13-7 or 14-6, and sometimes, though far less often, 16-4."

Tsunade frowned, "Ultimately this is a shinobi village, civilians should just be grateful to live under our protection, their political power should be very limited. The Elders are just supposed to be advisors, nothing more. Danzo is very dangerous. We need to curb their political power and reassert Sarutobi-sensei's will. How do we make that happen Shikaku?"

"I'm glad you feel that way, Hokage-sama. Even the clans that don't always side with the Will of Fire agree that the civilians hold too much power. That being said, this is going to be a very long game, it's not something that can be done in months. This will take years, possibly even a decade or more.

In order to do this we'll likely have to manipulate the elders and/or the civilians into voting against their own faction and interests, and shore up the shinobi clans into a unified voting block. Any grand stroke would fail. Slowly, little by little, we have to claw our way back to reasserting complete Shinobi authority. It would also help if we start to fill the vacant clan seats."

"You know very well that I'm the last of the Senju, and I can't hold the clan seat while serving as Hokage. As for those other two seats, well there is the requirement that one must either be a jonin or married and a chunin in order to take their clan seat. While both those clans have heirs that are promising genin, one is a moody arrogant kid who is considered a flight risk, and the other doesn't even know he is part of a clan."

"All that is very true, Hokage-sama, but I do have some suggestions..." The conversation lasted well into the night as Shikaku outlined a few things Tsunade could do to start to turn the tide in her favor. At the end of the night Tsunade was both motivated and frustrated. Shikaku's suggestions had been very good, but Tsunade could tell that she was going to be in for a very long, drawn out, subtle battle to win control of the council. She didn't really like being subtle, she'd rather just punch something, but she was smart enough to know that if she was going to reassert the Hokage's authority she would have to be subtle. Just the thought of it made her want Sake, lots of Sake.

- _The Next Day-_

The Konoha 12 and their Sensei stood in front of the Hokage's desk, facing Tsunade, who looked out over them and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the next generation. "Thank you for your patience. I know promotions from the Chunin Exams should have been announced a couple of weeks ago, but between settling into this job, trying to repair our relationship with Suna, trying to track Orochimaru, trying to keep up appearances to the other villages, and rebuilding the village there hasn't been a lot of time. First off there is only one promotion based off the actual Chunin Exams themselves. The judges unanimously voted that this shinobi showed the skills of, and especially the mental capacity to think like and strategize like, a chunin, so congratulations to Shikamaru Nara."

"What a drag, so troublesome." muttered the young, lazy, Nara heir as he stepped forward to receive his vest. "What?! But he got lazy and gave up, how did he get promoted?" Yelled Ino in frustration.

"Ino, while it may have looked like he gave up Shikamaru realized he couldn't win, and so he quit. In the field that would have translate to saving the lives of the people under his command. Remember Chunin can lead teams, and therefore are responsible for the lives of their subordinates. What Shikamaru did was very mature, and that is why he was promoted," came the response from Asuma.

The newly appointed Sarutobi Clan head was proud of his Nara student, and hoped that hearing the explanation would help break the Yamanaka heiress of her 'fan girl' mentality.

"Hokage-sama, is that really the only promotion from the exams?" asked a somewhat surprised Kakashi. "Yes, however since the exams were cut short I've decided to use Sarutobi-sensei's notes, and reports filed by our shinobi about the invasion to make a few more promotions." This got the assembled ninja to calm down, eager to see who else would be promoted.

"My sensei had his vices, but was not a betting man, so when he did bet, it was something he was absolutely certain of. Over the years I learned to absolutely trust Sarutobi-sensei's instincts, so when I found a betting ticket stub in his notes from the Chunin Exam finals I knew the person he bet on to be promoted was someone who was very worthy. As such I'm promoting Shino Aburame to Chunin."

The whole room was stunned. The Third Hokage had bet money that Shino would be promoted? High Praise indeed. "Thank You, Hokage-sama. I will endeavor to not let you down. That's because, I don't want the late Lord Third's trust and confidence in me to have been misplaced." said the stoic Aburame heir as he accepted the vest. For everyone not on Team 8 this was the most they had ever head the boy speak, only adding to the stunned silence in the room.

Shino's teammates broke the silence "C-C-congratulations, Shino-kun. I knew you could do it." was the response from Hinata Hyuga. "Hell yeah man, I still can't believe Lord Third bet on you and not me, but this is fantastic!" yelled an exuberant Kiba Inuzuka as he slapped his best friend and teammate on the back.

"Kiba-kun, Lord Third could not have bet on you, that's because you lost to Naruto in the preliminaries, but your congratulations are appreciated." was Shino's response. "I'm very proud of you Shino, even though you are a chunin now you can still come to me for help or advice anytime." Came the word of Team 8's leader Kurenai Yuhi.

Through all of this Shikaku Nara stood off to the side, in his capacity as Jonin Commander. After taking a minute to be proud of his son, he began thinking of how he could use the promotions for political purposes.

 _ _Asuma is new to the council, and unmarried. The council will almost unanimously vote to force him to get married and get working on a Sarutobi Clan heir. He seems to have a thing for Kurenai, and will most likely propose to her. Because of her position as Shino's sensei__ _ _,__ _ _she has a good relationship with the Aburame Clan. Shino is the son of Shibi, head of the Aburame Clan and member of the Council. Shibi votes with the Will of Fire faction 70% of the time, and is far more friendly with us than with Danzo's faction, but there is still that 30% where he sides with Danzo. Perhaps something like this would be enough to firmly bring the Aburame into our block?__

Konoha's 2nd in command and greatest strategist had been delighted when Tsunade was appointed Hokage, finally he would have a boss willing to reestablish the proper order for a Shinobi village, quasi-military dictatorship. Giving the civilians just enough political power to feel like the mattered, but not enough to have a say in anything important. Now, he was willing to go to any length to see this happen, and his mind was always thinking about how he could turn anything, and everything, to his political advantage.

As Shikaku was lost in his scheming, Tsunade continued. "I also have two promotions to make based on work in the field. These two tracked an unstable enemy who was critical to the enemy's plan. Sasuke lost, but he bought enough time for Naruto to arrive, and wore Gaara down enough for Naruto to defeat him. I now announce that both Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki are promoted to chunin."

"Yes, we did it Sasuke!" yelled an exuberant Naruto "Hn, was there ever any doubt idiot?" came the response from the Uchiha heir. After his run in with Itachi, Sasuke was much colder to his companions in team 7, and was beginning to have his doubts about Konoha. Still, he thought of Naruto like a brother, and also had a close relationship with his sensei, Kakashi. Even Sakura, as annoying as she was, was now considered a friend, maybe with this promotion there was no need to leave...yet.

Tsunade couldn't help but smile at Naruto's excitement, she had already started to view the boy almost like a son or a grandson. _ _I'm so happy for you, Naruto, still your promotion is only in part because of your actions during the invasion. It's also politically motivated. Sasuke's is entirely politically motivated. I'm wary of him, but the council wants him promoted, and I may be able to turn it to my advantage.__ _ _This next one also has more to do with politics than the exams, but at least he was more helpful during the invasion that Sasuke.__

 _"_ Alright, we have one more promotion to give out. Someone who fought hard in the exams, and then, despite his injuries helped prevent the kidnapping of one of our Kunoichi. Neji Hyuga is promoted to chunin."

 _ _I know she doesn't like it, but she needs to gain some favor from the Hyuga, promoting their clan genius won't win them over right away, but it will get them to look upon her favorably. Hokage-sama may have a brash exterior, but she's actually much better at the political game than Lord Third was,__ thought Shikaku Nara, as a smile broke out on his face after he realized what Tsunade had done.

Meanwhile Neji had donned his vest, and then did something unexpected. He went over to where Team 7 was standing and bowed to Naruto. "You have my thanks, Uzumaki-san, I owe my promotion to the fact that you opened my eyes to a few things." "Huh...but I beat you. Didn't I hurt your chances?" said Naruto, scratching his head in confusion. _ _This might be a problem. Naruto is going to inherit a clan seat one day, but he's an idiot. We'll have to fix that,__ observed Shikaku.

"Alright, that's all for promotions. For now I'm going to keep all of the Teams together, but once we've finished rebuilding the village you can expect new assignments. You're dismissed."

The room emptied, leaving Tsunade, Shikaku, Shizune, and surprisingly, three young Kunoichi. The three girls all stayed behind to make requests of the Hokage, but upon seeing that others had stayed behind to they had surprised looks on their faces. "It's pretty clear by your facial expressions that you all have individual things you wanted to ask me about, not one group thing, so when I call on you state your name and what you want. You first Hyuga girl."

"Hinata Hyuga, Hokage-sama. I'm weak. I'm a liability to my teammates, Kiba-kun and Shino-kun. I need to get stronger, and not just for them but for N-Naru-someone else. Now that your apprentice is a jonin, I was hoping you could take me as your new apprentice?" _ _This girl clearly lacks confidence, this must be Hiashi's eldest daughter that Shikaku told me about. Maybe another opportunity to curry favor with the Hyuga?__

Tsunade looked at the other two girls to find them both glaring at Hinata. "I take it you two wanted to ask me the same thing?" They both nodded. "Ok then, Hinata's reasons are clear enough, but why should I pick you over her, and don't forget to introduce yourselves. You first, Pink Hair."

"Sakura Haruno, Hokage-sama. My father is the head of the Haruno Merchant Guild and sits on your council. My reason's are similar to Hinata's. I'm a liability for my teammates, and I'm tired of following in their footsteps. I want to be helpful, not a weakness."

"Ok, and you bun girl?" "Tenten, Hokage-sama. No last name, I was orphaned by the Kyubi attack and no one knows who my parents were. In the orphanage I would hear stories of your exploits, how you were the strongest Kunoichi ever. You're my hero, Hokage-sama, the reason I became a Kunoichi. I wanted to be just like you, unfortunately I'm not the greatest when it comes to medical stuff, but Gai-sensei helped me learn weapons. Now I want to learn Taijutsu from you. I think your style would go great with my Kenjutsu and Nina Tool skills. It's been my dream to study with you ever since I was a little girl."

Tsunade studied the three young Kunoichi. _ _They seem eager enough. The village needs more strong Kunoichi. I don't really want to have to manipulate the younger generation anymore than I already have today, but if push comes to shove all three of them could be of some political use to me, even the orphan.__

"Here's what I'll do. When I trained Shizune, I had a lot more free time. Now I'm Hokage. I can give you some time each day, but not enough. I do however have plenty of assistants, so I don't need Shizune to attend to me all day. If you're all willing I'll have Shizune take you on as her apprentices, and I'll help out when I can. Is that acceptable?"

For Sakura and Hinata, this was more than enough as it would help them get stronger. Shizune was a well respected jonin. They readily agreed and left. Tenten however was torn. Her heart was set on Tsunade, her hero, her inspiration for becoming a shinobi in the first place. Tsunade couldn't help but smile, at how much the girl seemed to worship her. She decided to take the girl to lunch. Tenten readily agreed to this, and Tsunade, Shizune, and Tenten went out to eat.

Tsunade quickly grew attached to the young Kunoichi. In part this was because she knew Tenten was the one actually competent Kunoichi in her generation, in part because of how much Tenten seemed to adore Tsunade, and in part out of sympathy for this seemingly nice girl who was stuck on Might Gai's team, a fate Tsunade wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy.

She was also sympathetic to the fact that Tenten lacked a family, and it just so happened that Tsunade could politically benefit from expanding her own family. By the end of lunch she had made up her mind to modify one of her plans to include Tenten, and conferred with Shizune on the walk back to the tower. Shizune had also taken a liking to the girl, and readily agreed to Tsunade's plan.

Sitting back down at her desk she addressed her apprentice and her wannabe apprentice. "All right, here's what I'm thinking. As you know in addition to being Hokage I am also the last member of the Senju Clan. The Senju clan is a very important clan for Konoha, and having the clan reborn, even if not with the same bloodline, would be an important propaganda tool for the village. To that end I have filled out adoption papers for Shizune. I've viewed her as my daughter for some time, so this is just making it official. She'll take the last name Senju and take over as head of the clan so I can focus on being Hokage. However, I like you girl, so I'm willing to adopt you into the Senju clan as well."

Tenten's eyes grew wide at Tsunade's words. _ _Tsunade-sama...wants to adopt me too?...My hero wants to adopt me?! I'd have a mom and a sister?! A Family! Tenten Senju?!__ The 14 Year Old weapons loving kunoichi bowed low, and tears flowed from her eyes as she spoke. "Tsunade-sama...I'm honored. I-I-I've always wanted a family...Thank You!"

"I won't lie to you Tenten, while I have taking a bit of a liking to you, and want to give you a family, one of my primary motivations for this is my own political purposes. The Senju Clan needs new members in order to gain influence in the village. You'll have Shizune and I as your family, but you'll also be somewhat of a pawn in my greater political ambitions. It's possible that in a few years I may just end up marrying you off to another clan, especially if Shizune ever gives me some grandkids. Those kids would be higher in the clan line of succession than you."

"That's ok, I'm willing to do anything to have a family. Meeting you, getting a family, Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san...Thank You, this is the best day of my life." Shizune smiled and embraced the crying girl "Shh, we're here for you Tenten, and please, call me nee-chan." Tsunade got up from behind the desk and joined in the hug. "I'll be taking all of this to the council for approval at the next meeting, so for now neither of you are members of the Senju Clan yet, but I'm pretty sure the council is desperate enough to revive the Senju clan that they will go for this. Hell, they'll probably spend the rest of the meeting trying to get you both married. The Civilian members of the council seem to take great delight in playing shinobi match maker."

This got a few chuckles from the two younger women before the three finally broke their embrace. "Shizune, take Tenten to the Senju Clan compound. Just because it isn't official yet doesn't mean she can't start to settle in."

-End of Chapter-

* * *

A few business things to take care of.

This is one of three other story ideas I got in the process of writing Yotsuki Naruto. Naruto is going to be a main character eventually, but in order to truly set up the story the way I want, the first few chapters to focus on Tsunade, Shikaku, and a couple of other characters. Once the story gets to a certain point it will shift to being much more focused on Naruto and a couple of other characters than anyone else. At this point people like Shizune and Tenten, while they will appear quite a bit in the first couple chapters, are not main characters. Could they be later? possibly.

I learned with Yotsuki Naruto that people seem to be obsessed with pairings, so I'll say this. I've already figured out Naruto's pairing, as well as a couple of others, though some of the other pairings are yet to be decided. There will be arranged marriages. Pairings will stay with people close to their own age. I don't really like stories where a 14 year old Naruto is in a relationship with a 50 year old Tsunade or a 16 year old Naruto is in a relationship with a 29 year old Yugito. That's just weird, and creepy. It is possible Naruto will end up with two people, but there will not be a mass harem. If he does end up with two people it will be clearly explained why. (I'm not planning on this at the moment, but I'm also not ruling it out.) No I'm not telling you any of my pairings in advance, patience young ones.

Yes, according to Narutopedia there are more than 10 clans in Konoha, but I've limited it to Aburame, Akimichi, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Nara, Sarutobi, Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Yamanaka. I was tempted to include the Shimura Clan since Danzo is one of the main antagonists here, but I like the idea of Danzo not having a clan, just his own shadow empire. Narutopedia may list a Hatake Clan, but I'm going to be treating the Hatake as a Shinobi Family, but not a clan.

The difference being a Shinobi Family, while still a family of shinobi, is smaller than a clan, and doesn't really possess secret techniques or Kekkai Genkai. As for the other listed Clans, I don't really know enough about them to be comfortable writing about them, so for now they don't exist in this universe. I reserve the right to retcon one or two in later, but I doubt that will happen..

I'm not gonna put easter eggs in here as much as I do in YN, in fact I initially wasn't planning on any, but I couldn't help myself and threw a Spaceballs reference into this chapter. "Unbeknownst to them but beknownst to us" is paraphrased from the opening crawl of that movie. That being said I really do intend on keeping references to a minimum in this story.

Thanks for Reading

\- Col. Bogey.


	2. Chapter 2

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

* * *

Timeline Overview:

During the reign of the 1st and 2nd Hokages Konoha functioned as a benign military dictatorship.

Once Hiruzen Sarutobi took over he kept a great deal of power, but did establish a council of his most trusted advisors (now the three elders) and the heads of the 9 Clans of Konoha (Aburame, Akimichi, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Nara, Sarutobi, Senju, Uchiha, and Yamanaka). This council is only advisory in nature and has no legislative or executive power. During this time Danzo comes to doubt the competency of his old friend to be Hokage, and establishes Root/The Foundation to help oppose the Will of Fire, which he sees as weakening the village.

After the 3rd Shinobi World War, the Third resigns. Danzo tries to get Orochimaru appointed the 4th Hokage, but Minato Namikaze is chosen instead. To increase his political strength and ward off Danzo, Minato grants the Uzumaki Clan a seat on the advisory council, held by his wife Kushina. He does so under the guise of giving the clan a new home, since they had been scattered since the destruction of their old village, but most council members realize his real purpose. No other members of the Uzumaki Clan show up, so Kushina is the sole member.

Slightly less than 1 year later Orochimaru is a wanted criminal, The 9 Tails Incident happens, Minato and Kushina are dead, and Hiruzen Sarutobi retakes the position of Hokage. Hiruzen tries to do what he can for Minato and Kushina's orphaned newborn son, but also keeps the boy's true identity secret, and the civilians quickly come to despise him. The fact that Naruto is blond while almost all Uzumaki Clan members are red heads leads many to believe that he has no clan, and that his last name is just a coincidence. Only the elders, Clan Heads, and a few others like Jiraya and Kakashi know the truth of his parentage.

Danzo, pretending to be concerned for his old friend's health, convinces the 3rd to add civilians to the council, arguing that by giving them responsibility for their own affairs it would lighten the 3rd's workload. Danzo offers to take Naruto, but is rebuffed by the 3rd.

Overtime Danzo slowly manipulates the political situation so that the council holds more and more power. (How this happens will be discussed at some point during the story). Hiruzen Sarutobi, perhaps due to fatigue or old age, seems to be unaware, or unconcerned with Danzo's machinations on the council, and consents to giving the body more power.

The civilians, who hate Naruto, are able to pass a law stating that the council must approve every single shinobi related adoption in the village, and use it to prevent his adoption multiple times. This is due to the fact that the Senju and Uzumaki seats on the council were empty, giving the civilian councilors a numerical advantage. Danzo tries to use his influence with the civilians to take Naruto, but by this point their hatred of the boy is so strong that not even Danzo is able to sway them.

By the time Tsunade became Hokage after Konoha Crush, the Uchiha seat is also empty (Uchiha massacre occurred like normal), allowing Danzo to push his agenda further. At this point the Council has the power to directly overrule the Hokage on any and all decisions, but rarely chooses to do so. The Shinobi Clan Heads, while still influential in their own affairs and with the general population, are essentially powerless on the council, especially due to their low numbers and lack of unity.

(Everything that is not mentioned occurs as it does in actual Naruto unless otherwise contradicted at some point in the story)

Other Potentially Useful Information:

There are 4 basic family types:

Fully Civilian: Pretty self explanatory, absolutely no shinobi in the family. Ranges from peasants living under what is essentially Feudalism, to wealthy and influential merchants

Mixed Family: Same as above, except with some, but not many, shinobi in the family. These Shinobi are often at a disadvantage when compared to their non civilian comrades, who have the advantage of training from a young age, and often genetic superiority in things like higher Chakra reserves. Examples of Shinobi who come from civilian backgrounds in this story include Jiraya, Rock Lee, and Sakura Haruno.

Shinobi Family: These families are smaller, less wealthy, and less influential than the clans, but almost all of their members are Shinobi. A civilian in the family, while not unheard of, is the exception, not the rule. Examples include Kakashi Hatake, Minato Namikaze, All of the Elders, Might Gai, Kurenai Yuhi, and many others.

Clans: The powerful, wealthy, and influential Shinobi Clans, much of this story will revolve around them.

There are also a number of orphans. Those who are members of Clans or Shinobi Families are often raised by relatives, but for those with no one, like Tenten and Naruto, life was a struggle growing up. Things were especially rough for Naruto given the hatred, discrimination, and assassination attempts he faced as a jinchuuriki.

The Full Council meets every two weeks. In the week in between the civilians meet as a group, the clan heads meet as a group, and the elders meet as a group.

As is a fairly common trope in fanfiction, the civilians seem to worship the ground the last loyal Uchiha walks on. In general they have a very high opinion of the Clans, because while they don't understand how they work the civilians love the ideas of secret techniques and Kekkai Genkai, but they especially revere Sasuke.

* * *

- _Two weeks after the events of the last chapter-_

Tsunade and Shikaku had carefully prepared, and hoped to start the long process of reestablishing the Hokage's absolute authority at the next council meeting. So it was that two weeks later after her disastrous Council debut, Tsunade walked into the council chambers feeling confident but nervous. Her first moves on this massive shogi board were going to be small, and were likely to pass because of that, but she couldn't help but be a bit nervous. If Danzo caught on at this early juncture he could easily crush her plans. Her first council meeting and subsequent debriefings with Shikaku had been a big wake up call, and she was determined that her second meeting would go better.

Konoha's Council met in a large room with a grand, one way window overlooking the village. On the walls were a number of privacy seals, keeping everything discussed in the room completely confidential, and the room was surrounded by ANBU Black Ops when the council was in session.

The centerpiece of the room was a large U shaped table. In the curve of the U sat the Hokage and the three elders. The vertical line on the left held the 10 seats for clan heads, and the line on the right held the 10 seats for Civilians. Near each seat on the table was a small desk, usually reserved for an assistant, spouse, deputy, or heir to each council member. There was a secretary's desk off to the side, where detailed minutes of each meeting were recorded. There were also chairs lined up for invited guests, and for the pages, genin whose tasks were as diverse as making tea for the council members, fetching documents from the archives, and summoning people to appear before the council. All told the room could often have 50-60 people in it when the council was in session, too many people if you asked most of the Clan Heads.

As Tsunade sat down she made sure that all the council members were present and began the meeting. For a while it went fairly smoothly, as "old business" was discussed, updates on the rebuilding were given, updates on the peace process with Suna were given, and in general things were fairly normal. Eventually though, they got to 'new business.' "Alright, seeing that all of our previous business has been taken care of do we have anything new that needs to be discussed?" Tsunade held back a frown when she saw the first hand shoot up. "Alright, what do you have, Ichijoji-san?"

Kazuto Ichijoji stood to address the room. He was the head of the single largest labor guild in the Land of Fire. The guild's membership included almost all of Konoha's construction workers, electricians, architects, plumbers, land surveyors, and just about every other type of profession necessary for construction. Given that the village was still rebuilding this guild was more important than ever, and Kazuto was perhaps the single most influential man in Konoha at the moment. Even most of the Clan Heads were hesitant to upset him. Kazuto's ego was considerable, and it came as no surprise to anyone that what he wanted to speak on was something he knew next to nothing about: Shinobi affairs.

"Thank You, Hokage-sama. With Uchiha-sama's recent and well deserved promotion to Chunin I think our top priority should be encouraging him to marry so that he can take his clan's seat on this council. For that matter I think Sarutobi-sama needs to wed as well. If he were to die then the late Lord Third's Clan would be without an heir, which is completely unacceptable. Perhaps you should look at having a child yourself, Hokage-sama. Bringing the Senju back would be a powerful propaganda tool for our village."

There were murmurs of agreement amongst the civilian council members, and even the Clan Heads had to acknowledge that there was some truth to what the man said, one of the most important duties of a Clan Head was to provide an heir or heiress for the clan. Seeing that this was a good opportunity to try to increase her own political power, Tsunade took a chance. "While I may not look it, I'm actually too old to safely have children. Keep in mind I am a veteran of the 2nd Shinobi World War, and that was close to 30 years ago now. That being said, there is something I could do to revive the Senju Clan, but not the Senju bloodline."

There were some looks of confusion, and so Shikaku Nara, seeing Tsunade's angle, tossed her a softball question. "What do you mean by that, Hokage-sama?" Tsunade smiled and launched into her response. "While as Hokage I can't take the medical risk of having children at my age, I can still adopt some. They won't have Senju blood, be the Senju don't have a Kekkai Genkai, so that's ok. The propaganda value of having a revived Senju Clan far outweighs the loss of the Senju bloodline."

Many heads on both sides of the table nodded in agreement, she spoke the truth. Wood Style had never reappeared in the Clan after her grandfather's death, and had never appeared in the clan before him either. It wasn't a clan technique, Senju blood wasn't important, but the Senju name and all that it represented was.

To Tsunade's left Danzo was incredibly conflicted. _On one hand She'll likely try to adopt Shizune and give her the Senju Clan seat. This gives the Will of Fire one more solid adherent on the council. On the other hand it looks like there will be little opposition, and the fact is that having the Senju name back does help protect Konoha. I don't like it, but I don't think I can oppose this, and I'll still have the loyalty of a majority of council members, so it won't really matter._

Meanwhile, Tsunade continued. "I'd like the Council to approve my adoption of two people. One is my apprentice, Shizune." Tsunade motioned to her assistant's desk, where Shizune was seated. "I'd like her to to be named head of the Senju Clan since active Clan Heads can't also serve as Hokage. I'd also like to adopt a young Genin Kunoichi named Tenten. Both Shizune and I have taken a liking to her, and she's a war orphan who has never known family, I'd like to giver her one."

Again, there were many heads nodding in approval, so Shikaku once again spoke up to push things along. "I motion to approve Hokage-sama's adoption of Shizune and Tenten, with Shizune taking over as acting head of the newly revived Senju Clan and taking the clan's seat on this council, effective immediately." "Second." called out a number of other council members.

With a motion put forward and seconded, Tsunade took over "Ok, we're going to do this by unanimous consent. Are there any who are opposed?" Tsunade paused to allow any potential detractors to speak up. None did, so after a few seconds she continued "Hearing none the motion passes, Shizune and Tenten are now officially my daughters and part of the Senju Clan." Turning to address Shizune she added "You can take one of the empty seats on the Clan side of the table now, Senju-sama."

As Shizune moved to take her seat Tsunade motioned to a page, and gave the young genin instructions to have new identification cards made for Shizune and Tenten reflecting their new clan status. As the page left to carry out the assignment Kazuto Ichijoji spoke again. "Congratulations Hokage-Sama and Senju-sama, but this doesn't really change anything. We need to make sure our clan heads are taking their responsibility to reproduce seriously, after all their clans bear much of the responsibility of protecting and serving us. I insist we come to some understanding on this."

His words rubbed many on the shinobi side the wrong way. _This is a Shinobi Village! We don't serve you! We're supposed to be in charge and all of you are supposed to just be grateful for living in the relative safety of a Shinobi Village!"_ thought many of the irritated Clan Heads, though again, they had to admit that he had a point on the whole reproduction thing.

Asuma spoke up next "Would you be satisfied if I started dating, or are you trying to arrange a marriage for me?" "Given that you and Senju-sama are already seated on the council I see no reason to arrange marriages for you both at this time, as long as you are actively pursuing serious relationships that is." Asuma nodded, relieved that the civilians weren't going to try to force him into marriage, at least not yet. _Guess this gives me the perfect excuse to ask out Kurenai,_ was his thought.

The Labor Guild boss continued: "However I think that for Uchiha-sama we will have to arrange something. By all reports he is focused on ridding the world of his traitorous brother, and he should be praised for that, but he also needs to focus on rebuilding, we need the Sharingan, and we need him on the council. He must be made to see that he needs to wed."

Here Danzo, ever the shrewd politician, saw an opportunity. "Allow me to speak to Sasuke-san about this matter. I believe that given our...similar outlooks on the Itachi situation and on strength in general I will have a better chance of convincing him of this. He clearly has no respect for civilians, and despite the fame of his sensei his has a habit of ignoring the man. Give me a chance to convince the boy of his responsibilities to himself, his clan, and his village."

As he spoke, his thoughts were focused on the future: _If I can win the last loyal Uchiha over to my way of thinking I'll not only have another ally on the council, but I may be able to convince a whole clan to abandon the Will of Fire, and possibly cultivate a new generation of the Sharingan in my organization._

Before anyone could respond civilians quickly proposed and seconded giving Danzo the opportunity to get Sasuke to agree to an arranged marriage, and Tsunade was forced to call a vote. "By show of hands, all in favor?" All 10 civilians, all 3 elders, Hiashi Hyuga, and Shibi Aburame raised their hands. "All opposed?" Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Asuma Sarutobi, Tsume Inuzuka, and the newly christened Shizune Senju raised their hands." Tsunade had to hold back her anger as she announced the results "The motion passes, 15-6, Danzo is herby tasked with arranging a marriage for chunin Sasuke Uchiha."

The rest of the meeting was fairly uneventful, and before long the council chamber began to empty. The civilians and elders all headed back to their various offices, most of the clan heads left for their compounds. Asuma headed out to try to find Kurenai. Shikaku and Shizune accompanied Tsunade back to her office, where she found a manila envelope full of new identity documents for her two newly adopted daughters. She couldn't help but smile as she handed Shizune hers. "I've always thought of you as a daughter, Shizune, I'm glad it's finally official. Tenten too, she's a good kid."

"Thank you for placing your confidence in me, Tsunade-sama." said Shizune as she bowed, "I promise to do my best as head of the Senju Clan." "You know, it wouldn't kill you to call me Kaa-san now." "I'll try, but I'm so used to Tsunade-sama that it may take some time." Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle at Shizune's response. "Fair enough, how'd we do to day Shikaku?"

Shikaku took a couple of moments to collect his thoughts before answering. "Today was a mixed bag, Hokage-sama. On one hand getting the Senju Clan back on the council is very important, on the other hand giving Danzo access to Sasuke could be very dangerous, the boy is emotionally fragile and obsessed with power. If Danzo gets his hooks into him I could easily see a revived Uchiha Clan being powerful opponents of the Will of Fire, which will be troublesome for us."

"What do you make of the Aburame and Hyuga siding with Danzo?" Tsunade asked. "They are likely eager to just get the Clan side of the council back to full strength. While the civilian side plays into Danzo's hands a lot they also have their own agenda that the Clans are all opposed too, it's one of the few things we can agree on right now. Adding another clan seat means more opposition to civilian control of shinobi affairs. I was hoping that Ichijoji-san would try to force Asuma and Shizune into arranged marriages, that would have pissed off all of the Clans, and the Aburame and Hyuga likely would have voted against Danzo out of spite, they know he's allied with the civilians. I also think the other two elders would have sided with us if that was the case, while they aren't from clans they are from influential shinobi families."

"Shikaku-san, that still would have meant that we would have lost the vote 11-10, so why does it really matter?" asked Shizune. "True, but to be perfectly honest I don't think Danzo would have even floated his idea about Sasuke. The shinobi would have been so riled up about the idea of forcing Clan Heads, not heirs, heads, into arranged marriages that he likely would have decided it was not a good idea to do something that would further piss us off. It's troublesome, but now we have to worry about Sasuke even more," came the response.

Tsunade nodded in agreement. While she wasn't a natural politician like Shikaku and Danzo, she was learning quickly. "Anyways, Shizune go home for the day. I want you to find Tenten, give her her new ID papers, and formally welcome her into the clan. I'll definitely be coming home for a celebratory dinner with my new daughters, but I still have some paperwork to do, and then I need to do a bit more research to try to improve that Lee boy's odds of surviving surgery."

Shizuen stood and bowed "Of course, Tsunade-sama, er...sorry, I mean Kaa-sama, er...I mean Kaa-san." She wore a large grin as she left the room, maybe the council meeting hadn't been perfect, she now had to find someone to date, for example, but the girl who had been orphaned since the passing of her uncle had gained a mother and sister, her first real family since that tragic dayall those years ago, plus she was now the acting head of one of the founding Clans of the village. _I think I'm gonna enjoy this whole Clan thing,_ she thought, as she left the Hokage Tower to go find her new sister.

When Shizune left, Tsunade slouched into her chair, and a more concerned expression overtook her face. "I just don't get why Danzo supports the civilians. They are idiots, they know nothing of Shinobi affairs, some of their proposals are down right dangerous for village security. Why does he do it?"

Shikaku sighed before responding. "Danzo is the single greatest political mind in the history of Konoha, troublesome I know, but true. I can't tell you how he convinced Lord Third to give up so much power, I was pretty new to the council myself back then, and wasn't as politically aware, but I can tell you what he's doing now. Danzo's goal is the destruction of the Will of Fire, and for either him or one of his underlings to be Hokage. He seeks to reshape the village into something like his Foundation program, His Root philosophy. He expertly votes with the civilian councilors on things that will annoy, and anger, but not be dangerous to the Clan Heads, however he's also more than willing to vote against his own allies when they propose something that weakens the shinobi forces. He's made it so that he is the only shinobi on the council that the civilians will listen to on a regular basis. He is shrewd, and he wants your job, don't underestimate him... If there's nothing else, Hokage-sama, I'll take my leave. If I'm not home soon Yoshino's gonna kill me."

- _The Streets of Konoha-_

After Shizune left the Hokage Tower she made her way toward's Konoha's market district. Once there she stepped into a small, out of the way tailor's shop. She was still getting used to being back in Konoha after more than a decade away, but she clearly remembered her late Uncle speaking about how this shop was the best tailor in town. Two weeks ago she had placed an order with them, now she was here to pick it up.

As her eyes adjusted from the brightness of Konoha on a sunny day to the much dimmer lights inside the front of the shop she saw the elderly couple who ran the place. "Ah, Shizune-san, so good to see you, the first part of your order is ready for pick up!" greeted the woman, as her husband went to the back to grab the order. He returned shortly with six outfits. Three of Shizune's black and dark blue outfits, and three white and red outfits. All of them had the Senju Clan Crest emblazoned on their back.

Shizune smiled as she examined the work. _It will be quite a color change for Tenten, going from pink to white and red, but I think it will look good on her._ Once she was satisfied with the quality she stepped into a small side room and changed into one of her new outfits with the clan symbol, then paid for the order and left.

As she was making her way toward the Senju Clan compound she heard a voice call out "Hey, Shizune-chan!" Looking around, she spied her old friend Kurenai Yuhi, and two purple haired kunoichi who looked familiar, but that she couldn't put a name to.

Shizune and Kurenai were the same age, and had both been in the same class at the academy, they had also graduated early together, at age 9. Since her return to Konoha Shizune had seen her old friend a few times, and was pleased to see that the old friendship was so easily rekindled.

She waited for Kurenai and her companions to catch up, and greeted them when they finally did. "Shizune-chan, you remember, or at least have heard of, Anko Mitarashi and Yugao Uzuki right? They're a few years younger than us, but good company." Thanks to being the Hokage's apprentice Shizune had in fact heard of the two before, and greeted them. The 4 kunoichi set off towards a cafe to sit and chat for bit.

After they were seated, and the drinks and dango were delivered, Kurenai started prodding for information. "So...how did the council meeting go today?" "Tenten and I have officially been adopted by Tsunade-sama, and I've been made acting head of the Senju Clan so that she doesn't have a conflict of interest." Shizune smiled warmly and turned around to show her friends the Senju Clan Crest on the back of her outfit as she answered.

Heartfelt congratulations were offered, though everyone could tell that Yugao's smile was fake, she was still grieving over the death of her lover, Hayate Gekko, over a month earlier, but the fact that Kurenai had actually been able to get her out of her apartment and into the living world was a clear sign of improvement.

Anko, being a bit of a gossip, pushed further. "So are they gonna set you up with anyone Shizune-chan?" "Not yet, thankfully. They thought about setting up arranged marriages for Asuma and I, but he was able to convince them that as long as the two of us are making real efforts to be in serious relationships the council doesn't need to take such actions."

Her answer prompted a blush on Kurenai's face. She and Asuma both had a thing for each other, but both seemed to be unaware that the other felt the same way, much to the amusement of their group of friends.

Seeing the blush, Shizune decided to have some fun. "Right after the meeting Choza-sama tried to put together a betting pool amongst the other clan heads on who Asuma was going to try to get involved with, but it had to be called off after everyone tried to bet on you, Kurenai-chan. When Asuma left the tower he said something about trying to ask someone on a date." Kurenai's face was almost as red as her eyes at this point, and she slouched into her seat, as if trying to hide from the smiles and chuckles of her companions.

Again, Anko pushed, this time taking pity on her friend and wanting to turn the tables on Shizune. "Well then we should start our own betting pool about you, Shizune-chan! I'm sure Hokage-sama, your new little sister, and your two new medical students would love to get involved as well!"

Kurenai immediately sat back up, eager for revenge, while Shizune looked embarrassed. "Alright, so who are the choices?" came Kurenai's question. "Hmm...Kakashi-kun, Ibiki-kun, Ebisu-baka, Genma-kun, and Raido-kun." offered Anko. "I think you're forgetting one...Gai" added Kurenai, with an evil grin on her face.

"Kurenai-chan you've gone too far, that was just mean!" came the shocked response from Yugao. "Ok, Ok, fine, no Gai. Sheesh can't a girl get a little revenge?"

Kurenai ended up betting on Genma, as did Yugao. Anko sent a snake summon to see if Tsunade wanted to bet, she did, and placed a bet on Raido. Anko shocked everyone by betting on Kakashi, and promised to find Shizune's students and sister at some point to see if they wanted in on the action as well.

They went on like this for another 20 minutes, with Shizune becoming more and more embarrassed by the second. Finally, when all the tea and dango were gone, the four kunoichi went their separate ways. Anko back to the Torture and Interrogation building, Kurenai to wander the streets in hopes of running into Asuma, Yugao to the memorial stone, and Shizune to the Senju Compound.

- _Team 7 Training Grounds, 30 minutes later_ -

When Kakashi dismissed his students for the day he had to chuckle as the by now predictable routine occurred. Sakura asked Sasuke on a date. He rejected her. Naruto then asked Sakura on a date. She punched him and called him an idiot. Sasuke left to go brood at his house. Naruto went off to Ichiraku Ramen, and Kakashi himself wandered off reading his book. Sakura stuck around for a few minutes, pouting about being rejected again, before she too headed home.

A couple of hundred meters away, One of Danzo's men deactivated his Byakugan, and headed back to report to his master on the three students, two of which Danzo had been interested in for some time, and the third that had just today ended up on Danzo's radar as well.

- _At the Same Time, The Streets of Konoha-_

 _"_ Hey, Kurenai! Wait up!" Kurenai turned around to see the object of her affection, Asuma Sarutobi, making his way towards her, cigarette sticking out of his mouth.

Like some other members of their group of friends, she took the opportunity to have a little fun at his expense. "What can I do for you, Sarutobi-sama?" she said in the most sarcastic way possible while bowing low, but all that was really just to cover the massive blush on her face from realizing that her crush wished to speak to her.

"Oh come on, not you too? I already get enough crap from Anko, Genma, and Raido." "Sorry, Asuma-kun, couldn't help my self. I heard the council meeting today was...interesting."

"Oh, so you heard about the meeting already huh?" "Yep, I ran into Shizune-chan and she caught me up. They're forcing you to start dating huh?" Asuma blushed, but mustered up the courage to do what he needed to do.

"Yeah...about that...do you have any plans tomorrow evening?" Kurenai lost her composure for a moment, stunned at what she heard. "You...you're asking me out on a date?" "Well, yeah. I enjoy spending time with you, and out of all the women I know you're the most dignified, the best candidate to be First Lady of the Sarutobi Clan."

Composure now regained, Kurenai, still not believing Asuma was really interested in her, was a bit put off by his words. "I won't lie, Asuma-kun. I like you, a lot, but I'm not interested in being some Clan Head's Wife that lives in a cold, loveless marriage. I want to be loved as a person, not just as an object to better your clan."

Asuma, initially caught of guard by the fact that Kurenai was actually interested in him, quickly realized his error and tried to smooth things over. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I don't see you like that Kurenai. Truth is I like you as well, and have been thinking about asking you out for a while now. Also, I'm not looking to be forced into a cold marriage either. The Sarutobi Clan generally tries to avoid arranged marriages just so that something like that doesn't happen, plus I'm not asking you to marry me, just to go on a date. So how about tomorrow night?"

Kurenai could tell Asuma spoke the truth, and was touched by his words, but still wanted to make him squirm a bit, maybe Anko had rubbed off on her. "Alright, but I have one condition." "Name it." "I want you prove to me that you mean what you say. Show me you mean it by quitting smoking for me."

Asuma had to smile at that. _Should have seen that coming, she's never hid the fact that she finds my smoking repulsive, and yet she's still in to me. Good thing I have an excuse._ "I can promise to cut back the smoking, but I can't promise to quit altogether. Tobacco plays an important part in most Sarutobi Clan rituals."

Kurenai considered this for a few moments, before nodding "Ok, fine, but I never have to touch the stuff. What time tomorrow?" Asuma grinned "Of course, how about I pick you up at 7?"

- _At the same time, The Senju Clan Compound_ -

The Senju were one of the two founding clans of Konoha, and had been the clan of the first two Hokage. As such they had one of the largest clan compounds in the village. Situated on the outskirts the Senju Clan Compound included over 20 buildings, 10 training fields, their own private lake, and 10 acres of dense forest.

They also owned several buildings throughout the village, and income from all the tenants renting space in the buildings to either conduct business in or live in meant that the Clan had no shortage of money.

The compound had been vacant for many years, and now the only building that was actually lived in was the Clan Head's Mansion, though Shizune was planning on having one of the other homes restored as well, if she was going to have to get married she and her husband were at least going to have their own home. Tenten and Tsunade could live in one of the other homes.

She was also looking at restoring the clan Temple, and the Armory. This had all been planned out with Tsunade in the few weeks since they had returned to the village, but with her now being the official acting head of the clan, she was going to be taking responsibility for all of it.

When Shizune arrived at the compound she wasn't surprised to find it empty. True Tenten spent a lot of her time at the compound, but she had yet to actually move in. She was likely finishing up her training with Team Gai for the day, and would probably swing by after that.

Shizune was also expecting a visit from Sakura and Hinata. For the last week she had been training the girls for a couple of hours a day, mostly focusing on Chakra Control and learning about Human Anatomy. Both Sakura and Hinata already had excellent chakra control, and were proving to be quick studies in medical terminology and knowledge. Tenten also did chakra control exercises, but for different reasons. Her chakra control was average, but it would have to be excellent if she ever hoped to learn Tsunade's taijutsu style, something that Shizune herself was not proficient in.

After wandering around the compound for the better part of twenty minutes Shizune returned to the main gates just as her new sister and her two new students walked through the gates, chatting with each other. "Hey, Shizune-sensei! How was your meeting today?" asked Sakura. Tenten looked over anxiously. She new today the fate of her future family had been decided, and she was nervous about the results.

Shizune smiled back at them. "The council unanimously approved a motion to allow Tsunadae-sama to adopt me and make me acting head of the Senju Clan. They also approved your adoption, Tenten-chan, so you can call me ne-chan if you want."

Tenten stood frozen still, letting it all sink in. She had family now, all that she had ever wanted in life. And to make it even better she was a part of one of the most prestigious clans in the village, and her personal hero was her mother. As it all sunk in the floodgates opened, and tears poured out of her eyes. "One-sama!" she cried out, rushing forward and practically tackling her older sister to the floor. "Easy Tenten, easy, and I told you to call me ne-chan. No need to be so formal."

Shizune looked down at Tenten, to see tear filled eyes looking back up at her. "No, you're the head of my Clan, just because you're my sister doesn't mean I'm not giving you the respect you deserve, One-sama," came the clearly emotional response. Sakura and Hinata simply looked on from the sidelines. They were happy for their friend, but they couldn't help but feel like they were intruding on what should be a private clan moment.

"W-w-we can c-c-come back tomorrow if you want, Shizune-sensei." Offered Hinata, her already timid nature and her desire not to ruin the moment combining to mean her voice was barely above a whisper. "Nonsense, we still have a couple of hours before Tsunade-sama comes home." said Shizune, breaking her embrace with Tenten.

She pulled out a manilla envelope and handed it to Tenten. "Your new ID documents are in here, Imoto. Put them somewhere safe and then go start sealing up your stuff, you're moving in to the compound. Before you go though, I have something else for you, wait here." Shizune ran back to the house and grabbed one of the new outfits she had picked out for Tenten.

"Here, I got you this new outfit as a welcome to the clan present. It has the Senju Crest on the back, I hope you like it because I got two more pairs of this same outfit." Again the floodgates opened and Tenten broke down in tears. "One-sama, I love it." When she calmed down she ran into the house, and came out a few minutes later wearing her new outfit. She modeled it for her friends, who seemed just as enthusiastic as her, before she headed out to pack up her stuff. _I still can't believe this is happening. It feels like a dream,_ she thought.

That night the newly revived Senju Clan would have a lovely dinner together as a family. Many laughs were shared and many tears were shed. Tenten wasn't fully moved out of her old apartment, but she still chose to sleep at the compound, her first night in her new home. As she lay in bed she couldn't help but run her finger over the Senju Clan Crest on one of her outfits, and was unwilling to take her eyes off her new ID card.

Over and over again she read it, seemingly scared that if she took her eyes off it she would wake up to find that it was only a dream. So instead, over and over she read: 'Family Name: Senju. Given Name: Tenten. Clan: Senju. Rank: Genin'. Eventually she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and sleep overcame her. A peaceful sleep, because, for the first time in her life, Tenten truly felt loved.

-End of Chapter-

* * *

I learned something new in the course of this chapter. I had always assumed that the generation above Naruto's was all the same age, since they seem to all be very good friends with each other, but boy was I wrong. There is a group in the late twenties/early thirties such as Kakashi, Asuma, Shizune, Kurenai, Gai, Gemna, Ebisu, and etc. but Anko is 4 years younger than Shizune and Kurenai, while Yugao and Hayate are even younger than that. They also didn't graduate the academy until the older members of the group would have all been Chunin. According to Narutopedia: Yugao is 22, Hayate was 23, Anko: 24, Kakashi: 26/27, Gai: 26/27, Ibiki: 27, Kurenai: 27/28, Asuma: 27/28, Shizune: 28, Ebisu: 28, Genma: 29/30 (Yet he, Ebisu, and Gai were on the same Genin team, so did Gai graduate early or was Genma held back? Yet another plot hole in the official story!) Raido: 31/32.

I have a feeling I'm going to get some people assuming that the pairing is NarutoxTenten. The reason I'm spending so much time and effort on Tenten is not because of a potential pairing (at this point I'm still planning on a single Naruto pairing, and it isn't with Tenten). Rather, much like in my other story where I spent a lot of time on Shino, I'm temporarily giving the spotlight to a character that I have always found very intriguing, but who I feel didn't get enough screen time in actual Naruto.

Thanks for reading,

\- Col. Bogey


	3. Chapter 3

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

* * *

- _One Week Later, The Office of the Jonin Commander-_

Shikaku had to admit that, despite how troublesome being Jonin Commander could be at times, it certainly had its perks. One of those perks was a very nice office. Larger than most, his office could easily accommodate smaller meetings. Only the Hokage's office, and the council chambers were bigger. As such, his office had become the meeting place for the Clan Heads when they all gathered together.

It had been one week since the last council meeting. During weeks that the full council didn't meet the smaller councils did. The Council of Clan Leaders, the Council of Civilian Leaders, and the Council of Elders all consisted of the members of the full council, and served as a type of caucus meeting for the councilors. As the village's second in command, Shikaku served as the chairman of the Council of Clan Leaders.

When all the other Clan Heads were seated, Shikaku started the meeting. There wasn't much business to take care of, but they were required to meet anyways. He was pleased that Asuma was seemingly taking his responsibility seriously, apparently the Sarutobi Clan head had taken Kurenai Yuhi on a couple of dates in the past week. _Good, not only will it calm the civilians down, but if he marries her we can use her good relationship with the Aburame and Inuzuka to try to bring them into our little faction._ Shikaku didn't like manipulating people for political gain, it was troublesome, but he wasn't above doing it if it benefitted Konoha.

As the meeting came to an end Shibi, Tsume, and Hiasi all went on their way, leaving Shikaku, Shizune, Inoichi, Choza, and Asuma. They decided to go to lunch, and on the way the conversation turned to Genin Team 10, after all, all of them except Shizune had some vested interest in the team.

"So Asuma, tell me, what are your thoughts on my daughter's abilities?" asked Inoichi. Asuma sighed, before answering somberly. "She's just a fangirl. She doesn't take her training seriously, if something doesn't change soon she's going to die on a mission. I've tried everything I can think of to get her to take things seriously, but nothing seems to work. Everything is Sasuke this or Sasuke that."

Inoichi nodded solemnly. "It's the same at home. Getting her to work on her clan jutsu is like pulling teeth. When your team doesn't meet she doesn't train. She just watches the shop and day dreams of being Mrs. Uchiha. She's a clan heiress, it's unacceptable. If she still has this attitude when she becomes Clan Head the Yamanaka will be the laughing stock of the Elemental Nations."

"You're not thinking of doing what I think you're doing are you Inoichi?" asked Choza. Given the close relationship between the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka He and Shikaku knew quite a bit about Yamanaka Clan practices. Inoichi turned towards his friend with a face full of anguish. "I don't want to, but if she doesn't start to turn things around soon I won't have a choice."

As the 5 of them sat down to lunch the conversation turned towards lighter and happier topics, but Inoichi remained abnormally quiet, and barely ate anything. Too wrapped up in his own thoughts to eat or contribute to the conversation.

- _At the Same Time, Headquarters of Root/The Foundation-_

After meeting with the other elders Danzo had returned to his subterranean headquarters to plan his next moves. He had not yet approached Sasuke, but for the last week his agents had been constantly surveying the three members of Team 7. Combining their reports with his own knowledge Konoha Politics, he was putting the finishing touches on his plan to bring the young Uchiha into his sphere of influence.

 _I will have to tread carefully. Sasuke puts on a cold and indifferent front, but he's actually very emotionally fragile, and has started to form bonds with Team 7. If I sever those bonds too quickly it could turn him away from me. If I push too hard it could attract the attention of the Clan Heads or even Itachi_. Danzo hadn't forgotten Itachi's threat about what would happen if Danzo recruited Sasuke into The Foundation, it was one of the few times Danzo had genuinely been scared for his life.

 _Simply making Sasuke a member of Root is out, as is simply arranging for him to marry one of my underlings, as that would attract too much attention from the Hokage and Clan Heads. No, it has to be the Haruno girl. Not only is her father a council member, but while Sasuke won't admit it he seems to have a more positive opinion of her than all the other females around his own age. The way he savagely injured the Oto genin who hurt her in the 2nd round of the Chunin Exams confirms that much. A marriage between the Haruno Merchant Guild and the Uchiha Clan would benefit me, and I think I can also convince Sasuke to become my secret apprentice as well. I might have to use that, though._

Confident in his odds of success, Danzo returned to the surface, and started slowly making his way towards the Uciha District.

- _20 Minutes Later, The Uchiha District-_

As a result of the policies of Danzo's mentor and idol, Tobirama Senju, The Uchiha District was on the very outskirts of Konoha, and its deserted streets were rarely walked anymore. The Buildings had been bulldozed and nature had slowly begun to reclaim the district. When Sasuke became a genin he inherited all the land, and a great deal of money. He had built his own house in the center of the district, and moved there from his apartment in the village center.

Sasuke was behind his home, where he had constructed a small memorial to his parents, when he was surprised to find that he had a visitor. "Pardon my intrusion, Sasuke-san. My name is Danzo, and I'm one of the village elders. I wanted to talk to you about reclaiming your seat on the village council as soon as possible." Sasuke gave the man a strange look before answering "As you know Danzo-san, I just became a chunin, it will be a while before I can become a jonin and take my clan's seat."

Danzo gave a fake look of surprise. "Oh, did Hokage-sama not tell you that there was a way for chunin to be seated on the council?" The shocked look in Sasuke's eyes told Danzo that he had Sasuke exactly where he wanted him. "She failed to mention it, Danzo-san." Danzo smiled, this was too easy. "I'm not surprised. It's not something a Senju would tell you. After all the Senju and the Uchiha are old rivals. She's probably dreading the day your clan returns to power."

Sasuke nodded, that made sense, it was the only possible reason some one would want to keep the Uchiha, the elites, off of the council. "What must I do, Danzo-san?" "A Chunin is able to be acknowledged as head of a clan, and take their seat on the council, only upon being married." Sasuke shook his head. "While reviving my clan is one of my goals I'm not ready for marriage yet. It will take too much time out of my training routine. Killing Itachi is more important. I must have more power, everything else is secondary to avenging my clan."

 _And now for trump card number 1_ , thought Danzo. "And so what will you do, Sasuke-san? run to Orochimaru? Yes I know about the offer that was made to you. Let me ask you, did Orochimaru's minions tell you that he tried to possess Itachi's body once? and that he wasn't strong enough to beat Itachi? How can you expect him to train you to be strong enough to beat Itachi if he isn't even strong enough to do it himself?"

Sasuke had to stop and think. _Those Sound Four creeps didn't say anything about that. Plus Kakashi-sensei and the Hokage both told me how Orochimaru just wants me so that he can possess my body and gain the Sharingan. Maybe I shouldn't go._ "And I suppose you can, Danzo-san?" Danzo frowned, _trump card number 1 didn't work. I guess I'll have to use my ultimate trump card then._

"No, Sasuke-san. To tell you the truth Itachi once threatened me, and it was the last time I was truly scared of someone. I couldn't beat him. However, I believe that if you continue training with Hatake-san, and do some training with me as well, we can take your Sharingan to new levels." "And what would you know about the sharningan, Danzo-san?" _Here we go_ , thought Danzo. He began channeling chakra as he responded "More than you would think, Sasuke-san. Allow me to demonstrate." As his chakra network was prepared he reached up and pulled back the bandages on his face, revealing the Mangekyo Sharingan of Shishui Uchiha, and with the thought of _Kotoamatsukami,_ Danzo had won.

Sasuke stared at Danzo, absolutely enthralled with what he saw, unaware he was already under the most powerful, and most subtle, genjutsu known to man. _Of course, it makes perfect sense. If he has a Sharingan and Kakashi-sensei has a sharingan I can learn from both of them and grow to new heights. Plus this man is an elder, he is no doubt very wised and experienced, he may have some ideas to help me._ "I see, well then, Danzo-san, I accept your offer. I'll train under you." "Before I accept you as my student I'll need to arrange a marriage for you, the council has tasked me with that." "Fine."

Danzo smiled, _He's mine now. In order to keep Itachi off me I won't turn him into one of my root minions, rather I'll make him my secret apprentice. Konoha's next Hokage, and my successor as head of The Foundation._ "I'm pleased to hear you've accepted my offer, Sasuke-san. Tomorrow you will accompany me to the headquarters of the Haruno Merchant Guild. The Head of it is the father of your female teammate, and a political ally of mine. We will arrange a marriage between you and Sakura. Also, from now on you will address me as Danzo-sama, like everyone else." Sasuke bowed, "as you wish, Danzo-sama. Was there anything else you would like to discuss?" "Patience, my young student. I will require that you keep the exact nature of our relationship secret, but for now I have nothing more for you, I will see you tomorrow, Sasuke-san."

- _At the Same Time, The Hokage's Office-_

"Damnit Jiraya! I need him here, he's going to play a big role in my plan to reassert the authority of the Hokage!" yelled an irate Tsunade as she threw an empty bottle of Sake at her old teammate and friend. "Easy Hime, just hear me out." came a defensive response from the Toad Sage. "What's there to hear, You want to take Naruto on a 5 Year training trip, I need him here for when he can claim his seat on the council, I'm Hokage, you're not, I win!"

That was too much, Jiraya, not usually one to yell at the object of his unrequited love, snapped back "There's so much more to it than that! How selfish are you? The Akatsuki are after Naruto, he's not safe here. Itachi and Kisame already got into Konoha once before you came back, and they can do it again. Keeping him here not only endagers himself but the entire population of the village! Let him train with me, he'll get a lot stronger, we'll keep on the move so the Akatsuki won't find us, and I'll even train him about village politics, lord knows I've seen enough of it."

"How would you know the current state of affairs here when you are never here anymore?" Tsunade had calmed down somewhat, Jiraya's words made sense after all, but she wasn't willing to back off yet. "Hime, I'm a spy master, did you really think I wouldn't have people here keeping an eye on things for me? I know exactly what the political situation is here, and truth be told I'm probably the best one to teach Naruto about it, after all I come from a civilian family, I know how the civilians think." _He has a point,_ thought Tsunade, _but I can't let Naruto roam free for 5 years._

"I'll let him go with you, but not for 5 years. When I'm ready for him I'm calling the two of you back, and you're going to answer the call." "Fine." agreed Jiraya. "I'm gonna go tell him. We're gonna leave tomorrow morning, wanna get a drink this evening since we won't see each other for a while?" Tsunade chuckled, _he's so predictable_. "Just so long as you realize that it's not a date, I'll never go on a date with a pervert like you!" Jiraya seemed dejected as he left her office, but really it wasn't a big deal, after all she may have given him a parting shot, but he had won the battle.

- _That Night, at the apartment of Kakashi Hatake_ -

Danzo wasn't the only one who had been conducting surveillance of Team 7, though the other spy had been more focused on the Team Leader than the genin. Now, this person was ready to make their move. Slowly and stealthily an intruder made their way into Kakashi's apartment. Shinobi apartments aren't the easiest things to break into, but this person didn't have too much trouble. They made their way towards their target: Kakashi's collection of the Icha Icha series. All first edition, all signed by Jiraya himself, _Bingo!_

The intruder then snuck into Kakashi's bedroom, and set their trap. A few minutes later Kakashi was roused from sleep to find a lighter being held to his precious book collection. "Anko? NO! What are you doing!?" The intruder was in fact Anko Mitarashi, and her snakes kept Kakashi at a distance as she held the first book over the flame.

"That depends on you, Kakashi-kun. As long as you cooperate I'm going to turn off this flame, put your books back, and let you get back to sleep. If you fail to cooperate though..." the threat was clear, Kakashi surrendered, his books were the most precious thing in his life. "What do you want from me?"

Anko grinned, _Hook, Line, and Sinker._ "You see, Kakashi-kun, I made a little bet with some friends, and I need your help to win it." Kakashi shrugged, anything for his books, and this didn't seem so bad. "Ok, what do you need me to do?" "Well, you see, Kakashi-kun. The bet was over who Shizune-chan is going to marry now that she's a clan head. It seems I'm the only one who bet a certain way, and I stand to win quite a bit of money if you end up becoming Kakashi Senju."

Kakashi was horrified. "You bet on me?" "Yep, now what's it gonna be, Kashi-kun. You can ask Shizune-chan out on a date tomorrow, or I can burn your precious book here..." "Ok, you win, I'll ask her on a date tomorrow." Anko couldn't help but smile sadistically as she turned off the lighter and tossed Kakashi the 1st book. "Good boy, you get that book back, but I'm gonna keep these others as insurance, you'll when them back one at a time as your relationship with Shizune-chan progresses."

Again, Kakashi was horrified, especially when as Anko was about to leave throught the window books in hand, she turned back around. "Oh, and Kakashi-kun, one word about our little agreement and..." she turned the lighter back on, telling Kakashi all he needed to know. Anko leapt out the window, and her snake summons dispelled, but a couple of hours later Kakashi was still unable to sleep, instead he clutched his one remaining Icha Icha book like it was his child. _The things I do for love_ , he thought.

- _The Next Morning, Konoha's Main Gate-_

A small crowd had gathered to wish Naruto and Jiraya well and see them off, including the other members of the Konoha 12, their sensei, Tsunade, and many of the clan heads. No sooner had Naruto and Jiraya left than Tsunade had given the others instructions to be in her office that afternoon, and they had gone their separate ways until then.

Sasuke headed into the commercial district, where he found Danzo waiting for him outside of the Haruno Merchang Guild as promised. "Good morning, Sasuke-san. I take it Uzumaki-san has gone off with Jiraya then?" Sasuke bowed in greeting, "Indeed he has Danzo-sama." "Hm, He will get strong training with Jiraya. As much as I hate to admit it Jiraya is both a powerful ninja and an excellent teacher. Uzumaki-san is an important weapon for our village Sasuke. Not only is he the jinchuuriki, but like you he is the last of a clan. The Uzumaki, getting their blood back into Konoha would also benefit us."

Sasuke was surprised to hear that, _I suppose that explains the dobe's improvement_ , he thought. "I can't let him surpass me, Danzo-sama." _And with that, Sasuke, your true lessons can begin._ Danzo smiled at Sasuke. "Don't worry, Sasuke-san. While he will get stronger he will be no match for you. Jiraya is a strong adherent of the Will of Fire, a philosophy which makes our village sentimental and weak. It will hinder just how much Uzumaki-san can grow." "Hm, I must be strong to kill Itachi, I won't let that mentality hinder me as well." Again, Danzo couldn't help but smile, this was going too well. "Good, good Sasuke-san, but for now let's focus on getting you on the council. Come, we have a wedding to arrange."

The marriage negotiations proved easier that Sasuke expected. Kizashi Haruno, Sakura's father, proved all too eager to agree to a marriage between the beloved last loyal Uchiha and his daughter. Thirty minutes later and an agreement had been signed. Danzo was pleasantly surprised he didn't have to use Kotoamatsukami. While injecting the cells of Hashirama Senju into him had drastically sped up the recharge time on the jutsu, from once every 10 years to once a day, he always tried to keep his usage of it to a minimum.

After the contract was signed Danzo showed Sasuke to one of the secret entrances to Root/Foundation HQ, and the two settled into Danzo's office so that he could begin the Uchiha's "education." The two spoke for several hours, as Danzo began the process of indoctrinating Sasuke in his philosophies. Eventually however, Sasuke had to leave to go to his meeting with the Hokage.

- _That afternoon_ , _The Hokage's Office-_

When everyone arrived in her office Tsunade began the meeting. "With some of you having been promoted to Chunin, I'm now ready to give out your new assignments. First of all I'm rearranging some of the genin teams. The newly formed Team 17 will now consist of Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten, under the leadership of Shizune. I did this since they are all training with her already." The four shot each other pleased grins, Tenten especially, she was delighted at getting to study under her older sister.

Tsunadae continued: "Team 18 will be Kiba, Choji, and Ino, under the leadership of Kurenai. Lee is undergoing surgery next week, and assuming he survives and is able to resume his shinobi duties he will be a team of 1 under Gai's...mentorship." Gai broke down in tears and cried something about youth, while everyone else breathed a sigh of relief, they had been spared a terrible fate.

After a brief moment to allow the others to give thanks, Tsunade moved on: "Now for the Chunin. Chunin Uchiha, Hyuga, and Aburame will all be put under the leadership of Asuma, as Team Asuma." It was a solid team, and Tsunade wasn't expecting any complaints, so she was surprised to hear one.

Sasuke spoke up. "Hokage-sama, I object to that placement. I would like to be pulled off missions so that I will have time to continue to train my Sharingan and Lighting element with Kakashi-sensei." "Well, Sasuke you'll have plenty of time to train with him while you're not on missions." "No, I won't Hokage-sama, I'll be too busy seeing to my duties as head of the Uchiha Clan and member of the village council."

That caught everyone off guard, though the council members in the room figured out what was going on fairly quickly. Kakashi spoke first "Sasuke, I'm flattered you want to continue to train with me, but you're a chunin, not a jonin. You can't be on the council yet." "Hn, actually I can. Despite Hokage-sama's attempt to hide it from me and hinder the Uchiha Clan I've learned of a way to be on the council as a chunin."

Sasuke pulled out a piece of paper. "Hokage-sama, this is a contract between myself as Kizashi Haruno, with Danzo-sama as a witness, it proclaims that I am officially engaged to Sakura, and per village bylaws you therefore have to recognize me as Head of the Uchiha Clan, and grant me my seat on the council."

Two female voices screamed out "What!?" Sakura in shock and joy at her dream coming true. Ino in rage and despair as hers came crashing down. Sakura ran to Sasuke and immediately began smothering him. Meanwhile, the council members in the room all had similar thoughts. _Danzo must have accomplished his task, but what's with the -sama? Don't tell me Danzo's already won him over._

Tsunade took the contract and studied it, everything seemed in order. "Very well Sasuke, but I can't just grant you a seat, the council has to discuss it, I promise we will at the next meeting. And for the record I was not trying to sabotage your clan, I want the Uchiha Clan back just as much as anyone, I just didn't think you were ready for marriage yet...Fine, Sasuke's objection is sustained and he is removed from Team Asuma, Neji and Shino are still on it though."

- _That Evening-_

Sasuke was starting to regret the contract. Sakura hadn't given him a moment's peace, constantly telling him how much she loved him and how hard she would work to make him happy. She was also trying to smother him with kisses on the cheek, or embarrass him by trying to bury her head into his chest. She had even tried to kiss him on the lips once. He was annoyed.

As the two walked through the Uchiha district Sasuke was relieved to see Danzo approach them. He bowed and introduced the two. "Sakura, this is Danzo-sama. A village elder who helped set up our engagement." "Really? Thank you Danzo-sama!" Danzo put on a smile "Of course, I was actually hoping I could talk to you for a few minutes Sakura-san. I heard you were put on a team under Shizune. I find it a bit ironic that the future Mrs. Uchiha is a student of the head of the Senju Clan, given the rivalry between the two Clans."

Sakura hadn't considered that, but she clearly remembered learning about the rivalry in the Academy. "Oh, do you think I should request a different teacher, Danzo-sama?" "Not at all, while I am not the biggest fan of Shizune and her mentor even I must admit that she is an excellent jonin. I hope you'll study hard and become the strong kunoichi your fiance is looking for in a wife. Walk with me for a bit, please, Haruno-san."

As Sakura and Danzo left he looked back to see a grateful look on Sasuke's face. When they were out of view of the main house he led Sakura into a small, private temple, where he once again pulled the bandages off his face, and spoke to Sakura as she fell under the spell of Kotoamatsukami. Danzo began to make Sakura into whatever Sasuke was looking for in a woman. When he wanted an obedient, silent, submissive wife, she would be. When he wanted a loud, agressive, brash wife, she would be. Whatever he wanted she would be.

Danzo still considered Sasuke a bit of a flight risk. True he was temporarily dissuaded from defecting, and Danzo' Foundation agents had killed the shinobi Orochimaru had sent to retrieve him, but that didn't mean Sasuke was loyal. If he felt he wasn't learning enough from Danzo and Kakashi, or the notoriously moody boy felt smothered by a certain pink haired Kunoichi, it was possible he could defect. Thus Kotoamatsukami was once again necessary.

Sakura had to admit that Danzo was making a lot of sense, already under the spell and adjusting herself to what Sasuke currently wanted. _Of course, Sasuke's not looking for a loud, overly affectionate wife. He's looking for a strong, silent, obedient Kunoichi to help him kill Itachi and revive the clan. I should put all of my efforts into training with Shizune-sensei, not into bothering my soon to be husband. I'll make Sasuke-kun proud, I'll become strong like him, I'll obey everything he tells me, I'll give him as many children as he wants, my life will be his to do what he pleases with, then he'll be sure to love me! As thanks to Danzo-sama for explaining all this to me I suppose I can pass along anything interesting that I hear around the Senju compound._

As Sakura took her leave to go ask Sasuke's permission to go home and start packing her things, Danzo couldn't hold back a smile. Sasuke was now his secret apprentice and Sakura was now his spy. To all their friends Sasuke would seem to be the same, moody, power crazed flight risk he always was, but in reality he would be trained to be the man to finally destroy the cursed Will of Fire, Danzo's chosen successor.

Sakura would continue to seem a strong adherent to the Will of Fire, because she was, but she would also unwittingly act as Danzo's spy on the Senju Clan. It was all too perfect. _Next week the engagement will be approved, and I'll have another ally on the council. Just you wait Hiruzen, I'll see the curse you left this village destroyed if it's the last thing I do_!

-End of Chapter-

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Before you start freaking out about Kotoamatsukami, According to Narutopedia Danzo can use it once a day thanks to Hashirama Cells (AKA: The ultimate Hax in Naruto).

In honor of this story's first review I'll answer the question it posed: Will Koyuki Kazahana appear in this story?  
Probably not. She's a foreign Daimyo, and this story will mostly focus on Clan politics and the Konoha Council. That being said I suppose she could be an interesting character to bring in later on, so I won't rule it out.

Thanks for reading

\- Col. Bogey


	4. Chapter 4: Timeskip

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

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At the council meeting the next week, the council was delighted to find out about the marriage contract between the Uchiha Clan and and Haruno Guild. Tsunade, sighting health and age concerns, had been able to get the council to agree to a couple of stipulations. Sasuke and Sakura, both soon to be thirteen years old, were acknowledged as being engaged, but per Tsunade's stipulations were unable to actually get married until the age of 16, and before having children Sakura would either need to be 18, or have a doctor's approval.

Even Sasuke was actually ok with both of those stipulations. Kotoamatsukami had made him willing to get married, but he still didn't particularly want to. With his engagement set the civilians easily pushed through a motion acknowledging him as head of the Uchiha Clan and granting him his clan's seat on the council, despite the fact that he was only engaged, not actually married like the law stated.

-Timeskip Style, Montage no Jutsu-

As the years past the two actually grew to be quite close. Kotoamatsukami had changed Sakura from being a dedicated fangirl to a serious kunoichi. She attended missions, and training with Shizune, and was turning into an extremely competent medical-nin. Tsunade also worked with her regularly, and even cleared her to work as a nurse in the hospital from time to time. She made Chunin in the next round of exams, thanks in large part to extra training from Danzo, who had one of his agents train her in elemental ninjutsu and genjutsu, both of which she proved quite adept at.

While she maintained her normal, often loud and brash, nature around her friends and in public, when alone with Sasuke or on official business as the soon to be spouse of the Uchiha Clan Head she became very quiet. She gave Sasuke enough space that he didn't feel smothered or annoyed, and she proved to be a dedicated student of the Uchiha Clan's laws and traditions, working hard to prove to Sasuke that she was worthy. As Sasuke grew more comfortable with her, he opened up to her, and slowly the effects of Kotoamatsukami on Sakura became irrelevant, as Sasuke became comfortable being in a normal relationship with her. A year after the contract was signed she no longer had to be the quiet, submissive woman when around Sasuke.

Sasuke found himself actually falling for his fiance, and his bonds with Team 7 grew ever stronger. Kakashi was a devoted teacher to him, and he and Naruto even occasionally exchanged letters via the Toads. He also received a great deal of training, and instruction in politics, from Danzo in secret. He would often spar with one of Danzo's agents codenamed "Sai," who was near Sasuke's own age and ability level. While not technically on the mission list, he would still take them occasionally, and his skills rose rapidly thanks to his focus on training. Sasuke even received a promotion to Tobuketsu jonin shortly after his fifteenth birthday.

Internally Sasuke was a battleground. Danzo drilled him on the weakness of the Will of Fire, and he agreed that it was a problem, but he never bought into Danzo's philosophy of severing bonds and emotions. Rather, he found some middle ground. Danzo allowed this, if only because he was trying to make Sasuke his apprentice, not a Root Agent. Danzo himself had bonds with the other two elders, and when Hiruzen Sarutobi was alive Danzo had a close bond with him, despite their obvious political differences. Sasuke felt conflicted, working to defeat the political philosophy that his team 7 family seemed to so ardently believe in, but he rationalized it by telling himself he was trying to free his friends from "the curse of the Will of Fire" as Danzo called it.

Over time all of the remaining genin in the Leaf 12 found themselves promoted to Chunin, except Ino. Hinata flourished as a medical ninja. Her Byakugan combined with her excellent chakra control and ability to open or close chakra points made many label her a genius of medical ninjustu, and she was able to regain some standing in her clan. Some of the Hyuga elders were even calling for her to retake the title of Clan heiress from her little sister. Even the most bitter members of the branch family loved and adored her, and were loyal to her above all else. Sakura and Tenten's sometimes brash natures also started to rub off on her, and she stuttered less and was able to speak up more.

Like her teammates, Tenten flourished under her older sister's tutelage. Until Shizune had children Tenten was technically the Senju Clan heir, and in that capacity would often join her sister at council meetings, sitting in the desk reserved for the Senju Clan Head's assistant, spouse, or heir. Her Shinobi skills improved as well. Her time on Team Gai had already made her an expert in Gai's style of Taijutsu, and in all things weapons and ninja tools. Under Shizune her chakra control improved dramatically, and she was able to learn some elemental Ninjutsu.

Thanks to a letter Naruto had sent, that actually had nothing to do with being Hokage or Shadow Clones, Tsunade had somehow realized she could use that technique to cut down on the time it took to do paperwork, and she was able to spend some time personally training her youngest daughter. Tenten was therefore successfully able to apply Tsunade's Taijutsu style to her Kenjustu, combining super strength with her mastery of weapons. Once she had the Taijutsu style down Tenten found she could cut large boulders in half with only a rusty knife. Her promotion to Chunin came at the same time as Sakura an Hinata, and her promotion to Tobuketsu Jonin came just days before Naruto was recalled from his training trip.

Choji, Kiba, and a healthy and active Rock Lee were all promoted to Chunin one year after the kunoichi were. Shino's skills were considered high chunin level, and as he learned more and more about politics, thanks to his role as heir of the Aburame Clan, he slowly opened up a little, realizing it was important to at least be able to hold what most would consider a normal conversation from time to time. Neji had also flourished while on Team Asuma, and was the first member of the Konoha 12 to achieve full jonin status.

Only Ino remained a genin. She had been slacking in her training before, but after she found out about Sasuke and Sakura's engagement she had been crushed. She put almost no effort into her training, and when not at team meetings or on missions, which she often skipped anyways, she was found moping around her family's flower shop. She had not yet been nominated for a Chunin Exam since the fateful exam that had been cut short by invasion. It got so bad that her father had even been forced to remove her from her position as Clan Heiress, instead naming one of her cousins as his heir.

As a member of a Shinobi Clan she was not actually allowed to resign from being a Shinobi, but Tsunade viewed her as a hazard to teammates, and put her on inactive status. She isolated herself from almost all of her friends, and only those that went out of their way to force her to socialize with them remained a part of her life.

Asuma and Kurenai's relationship blossomed wonderfully. One year after Naruto left on his training trip the two became engaged, and six months later were married in a beautiful ceremony. Kakashi served as best man, while Shizune was the maid of honor. Speaking of Kakashi and Shizune everyone except Anko had been floored when Kakashi had actually asked the Hokage's eldest daughter out, but soon the pair found that they actually enjoyed each other's company, and before long Anko no longer needed to use the threat of a book burning to coerce Kakashi.

Shortly after Asuma and Kurenai were wed Shizune, under pressure from the council, proposed and Kakashi accepted. The ceremony was unorthodox, as Kakashi was not only an eccentric ninja, but would be taking his bride's last name. The night before the ceremony it was Tsunade's turn to threaten Kakashi's prized possessions, he swore he would never hurt Shizune, under penalty of every single copy of the books in the whole village being confiscated and destroyed. Anko gleefully collected her winnings during the reception. It was weird for Tenten to have her old sensei's eternal rival as a brother-in-law, but he was a welcome addition to the clan.

Jiraya did exactly what he promised Tsunade. Naruto's skills grew quite a bit during the training trip. He no longer needed the aid of Shadow Clones to form the Rasengan, and he was able to go into the Tailed Beast Cloak and stay in control up until the 4th Tail Appeared. Jiraya also explained Naruto's Uzumaki heritage, including his mother's identity, though his father remained a secret. Naruto soaked up stories about Kushina like a sponge.

After a visit to the ruins of his clan's old village, Uzushiogakure, Naruto had promised to take up the mantel of Clan Head, and restore the clan to glory. To that end he had also decided to learn Fuinjutsu, something the clan was known for. Jiraya, being a Seal Master himself was an excellent teacher in this area. At first Naruto struggled, as he lacked the patience necessary for the delicate process of writing out the seals, but as the months turned into years he developed the patience, and proved to be a quick study in the sealing arts.

Jiraya also forced Naruto to read, and think. He filled the holes in Naruto's education, getting the rambunctious Jinchuuriki to buy into it by reminding him that as a Clan Head he would be expected to know all of this stuff. A pattern quickly emerged. Jiraya and Naruto spent the day training, at night Jiraya would leave to check in with his spy network or conduct 'research,' and Naruto would simply read a book on jutsu, practice fuinjutsu, or read a book to further his education. Over breakfast the next morning Naruto would ask Jiraya any questions that he had about the previous night's reading.

The two visited Sunagakure on several occasions during their three years, usually staying three weeks or a month. Naruto was considered somewhat of a hero there due to his role in Gaara's personality change. The first time they visited Jiraya fixed Gaara's seal, allowing him to sleep, and retain his sanity. The 2nd time they visited, a year later, was during the Sand Sibling's promotion to jonin. The third and final time, just weeks before Tsunade recalled them, was for Gaara's inauguration as Kazekage. Each time Naruto made sure to have Temari teach him about his wind element.

For Danzo these years were enjoyable. Sasuke was proving to be an excellent apprentice, and neither Itachi nor Tsunade seemed to be aware of their Master/Student status. Sasuke was also proving to be a valuable ally on the council. The fact that the civilians seemed to worship him gave him a great deal of political influence, and on more than one occasion Sasuke had single handedly rallied the troops to defeat a Will of Fire proposed initiative.

Soon Danzo would be able to begin the next critical step in his plans, slowly cutting down on the political independence of the civilians, making them vote the way he wanted them to on everything. He wasn't quite ready to begin that yet, Sasuke needed a bit more experience on the council, but he was close.

Tsunade's life was filled with ups and downs. Her adopted daughters were a constant presence in her life. Seeing her oldest married and happy brought her great joy. Her politically motivated Team assignments had paid off well. When Kurenai joined the Sarutobi Clan her good relationship with the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka brought those three clans closer to the Sarutobi Clan. It also didn't hurt that Asuma was Shino and Neji's Team leader. The Aburame and Inuzuka had all but fully committed to the Will of Fire, and the Hyuga now clearly seemed to favor Shikaku's faction to Danzo's.

On the other hand her efforts to reassert her control of the council had ground to a grinding stop after Sasuke joined the council. It was soon clear that the Uchiha was firmly in Danzo's camp, and try as some of the other clans might, they had been unable to sway him otherwise. Even with the solid addition of the Aburame and Inuzuka to the Will of Fire Faction, and the fact that the Hyuga now supported it more often then not, it was still not enough votes. The only time Sasuke seemed to vote with the other clans was when one of the civilians proposed something stupid that would have impeded internal Clan affairs. Danzo's voting patters were similar to Sasuke's. The other two elder's voting pattern was a little more difficult to figure out, but more often than not they sided with Danzo.

After almost three years of stalled progress Tsunade's patience ran thin, her allies needed fresh enthusiasm. It was time to recall Naruto. He had been gone for 3 years. He was now 15, and according to Jiraya's reports somewhere around High Chunin/Low Jonin Level. One February morning she sent out a message telling the Sage and his apprentice to come home.

-End Chapter-

* * *

Shorter than normal, but I wanted to write something giving a brief overview of what happened during the Timeskip while keeping that overview distinctly separate from everything post timeskip.

A few things I'm predicting there will be questions about.

Jonin/Tobuketsu Jonin promotions:

Neji's promotion is actually somewhat consistent with actual Naruto, in that he was a jonin by the end of the timeskip there and he is here. The way he gets it changes, but the results are the same.

Sasuke and Tenten are only Tobuketsu Jonin. My understanding of that rank, and thus what it is in this story, is when a person has one specific area or specialized skill in which they are clearly Jonin rank, even if they aren't jonin rank in other areas. Sasuke's area is Genjutsu (because Sharingan) Tenten's area's Ninja Tools and Kenjutsu (because Tenten). Sakura and Hinata are also close to the rank (because Medical Ninjutsu), but are still chunin.

Other things you may have questions on

Yes a year and a half goes by between the Sarutobi Wedding and the end of the time skip, and a year between the Senju wedding and the timeskip. No neither Kurenai nor Shizune became pregnant during the time skip. Yes Naruto was invited to both, but Jiraya didn't allow it.

Naruto comes out of the timeskip stronger and smarter than he does in actual Naruto. In part this is due to shadow clones, in part due to Jiraya being a bit more attentive, in part because of Temari's help with the nature transformation (no Rasenshuriken yet though), and in part because of the reading and Fuinjutsu practice Jiraya has him do while the sage conducts his "research." That being said Naruto is neither a genius, nor extremely powerful.

Yes, I know the whole Shadow Clones to do paperwork thing can be an overused trope. It's not really going to factor into this story, I just needed a way for Tsunade to have time to teach Tenten, while also doing all of her kage stuff, and helping out Shizune with the training of Hinata and Sakura. Lady 5th is a busy woman!

Thanks for reading

-Col. Bogey


	5. Chapter 5

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

* * *

 _-One Week Later-_

As usual, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki had the first shift at Konoha's main gate for the day. The morning had been fairly uneventful so far, and the two were starting to discuss where they wanted to eat on their Lunch Break. Suddenly, they heard a cry of "I'm Back!" as an Orange, Black, and Yellow blur sped by them. Kotetsu was about to alert the ANBU of a potential security breach, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, and was surprised to find Jiraya, shaking his head. "Jiraya-sama!" he cried out in shock. "But if your back than that blur must have been…"

Naruto Uzumaki perched on a pole, gazing out over Konoha. It felt good to be back. Using the Toads he had been able to exchange letters with various people, so he was pretty aware of what had been going on in the village, and he knew that a lot had changed. He couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the feeling of Nostalgia. After three years in which he grew stronger, smarter, and faster, he was back. He had learned who his mother was, learned about her Clan, and was ready to take the reigns of the Uzumaki.

 _It's too bad Sakura-chan agreed to marry Sasuke. Now I guess I'll have to make jonin before I can be acknowledged as the Uzumaki Clan Head_. Gamakichi regularly worked as a messenger, sending letters between Naruto and Sakura, and occasionally even Sasuke. So Naruto had known about the engagement for sometime. He was happy for them, and had even agreed to be Sasuke's best man, but he also wasn't over Sakura. He fully expected to live his life stuck in an unrequited love like his mentor was. Naruto quickly banished those thoughts from his mind, he had something important he needed to do.

Naruto hopped down and started walking through the streets of Konoha. He was much taller now, no longer shorter than everyone else in his class, and his old orange and blue outfit had been changed out for an only slightly less conspicuous orange and black one. His appearance had changed enough that rather than the normal glares he received walking down the streets of Konoha, he was met with confused looks, as if the people recognized him from somewhere but couldn't quite figure out who he was.

He quickly made his way through town until he got to the training grounds, and then made a beeline for the memorial stone. Once there he searched through the names until he found "Kushina Uzumaki" He ran his finger over her name a couple of times, seemingly lost in thought, before heading into the nearby cemetery to find her grave.

"Hey, mom, sorry I haven't visited before, this is the first time I've been in town since I learned who you were. I'm glad Pervy Sage told me. I miss you, I've had a real tough life, everyone seems to hate me 'cause Lord Fourth sealed the Kyuubi inside me, I wish you would have been here. I...love..." Naruto was so overcome with emotion as he crouched over his mother's grave that he was unable to finish his sentence, tears streaming down his face. He stayed at her grave for several minutes, crying.

After he regained his composure he stood and looked back towards Konoha. Standing at the edge of the cemetery he was surprised to see two familiar faces. They looked like they wanted to talk to him, but had given him some privacy while he was visiting his mother. As he neared them he couldn't help but grin, and called out "Sakura-chan! Sasuke! Long time no see!" "Naruto! Welcome back! I missed ou!" said Sakura as she wrapped him up in a hug. After she and Sasuke started to grow close the two had several conversations about Team 7, and realized they both viewed Naruto as an annoying, but lovable, little brother.

"Welcome back dobe, it's been too quiet without you." said Sasuke as he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Ah, I missed you too Sasuke!" "Hey Naruto have you eaten lunch yet? We were thinking the three of us could go to Ichiraku and catch up?" "Great idea Sakura-chan, I can't wait!" cried Naruto enthusiastically, Ichiraku was after all his favorite place in the world.

The three headed out towards the Ramen stand, with Naruto occasionally glancing enviously at Sasuke and Sakura's interlaced hands. Before Naruto left Sasuke would have never been ok with such a public display of affection, but in the last year he grown to like them, the fact that it so clearly made his brother and rival jealous was only icing on the cake!

After Naruto reunited with Teuchi and Ayame the three former teammates had a pleasant conversation, swapping stories and making up for lost time. All three genuinely enjoyed themselves, and the time flew by. As they paid their bills an ANBU poked his head into the stand: "Uzumaki-san, Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you." Sasuke gave the ANBU a slight glare. "Hn, Can't it wait? Sakura and I were hoping to catch up with our old teammate some more." The ANBU shook his head. "I'm sorry, Uchiha-sama, but Hokage-sama only has a short window of time before some meetings, and as you know Uzumaki-san is like a grandson to her." "It's ok, guys, Baa-chan's probably just mad that I haven't paid her a visit yet. I'll catch up with you later."

 _-10 minutes later, the Hokage tower-_

"Hey baa-chan, what's up?" Called Naruto as he climbed through one of the windows in the Hokage's office. Tsunade was both delighted to see him, and furious at how he chose to make his entrance. "Damnit Naruto, just because your primary teachers have been my son-in-law and my old teammate doesn't mean that you have to enter my office the same way they do! And what's with still calling me baa-chan? I thought Jiraya trained you how to behave like a clan head?"

Naruto dodged the pen that was thrown at him as he answered "He did, but I thought I only needed to call you Hokage-sama on official business?" "Did you not see that there were other people in my office? Did that not lead you to believe this was official business?" Naruto looked around the room, and confirmed that Shikaku, Asuma, and Inoichi were all in the office. Embarrassed, he sheepishly muttered out, "I didn't see them, my apologies Hokage-sama, Nara-sama, Yamanaka-sama, Asuma-sensei."

 _I just can't stay mad at that kid_ thought Tsunade as she sighed. "It's fine, just enter through the door next time please, and welcome back Naruto. Jiraya has done a lot of talking about what your strength level is. I'm curious just what level you are at, and I want to test your skills at some point. I'll have more information on that later. For now I understand you've learned of your heritage in the Uzumaki Clan?" Naruto confirmed her words with a smile.

"I hope you realize that your mother had a lot of enemies, and that you can't go around blabbing to everyone that you are the son of Konoha's 'Hot-blooded Habanero.'" Naruto smiled, having not heard the nickname before. "Yeah, Jiraya-sensei said as much. He also said that it's still to dangerous for me to know who my father was, and that most of the people in the village had no idea that my father and mother were married." Tsunade sighed, _I don't like keeping the information from the kid, but Sensei's concerns were certainly logical._

"That's correct. Quite a few of the higher ups in the village, both shinobi and civilian know, but very likely no one but the jonin and the most influential civilians had any idea they were married. When you end up taking the Uzumaki Clan seat we won't be publicly announcing you as Kushina's daughter, just as the new head of the Uzumaki Clan. Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa all had good reason to hate your parents, and I'll do anything I can to keep you safe from their vengeance. I hope you are mature enough to understand that."

Naruto nodded. "I don't like it, but I trust your judgement. So long as I am able to find out who my father is at some point I don't really care if my heritage is public knowledge or not." "When the time is right, I promise, Naruto. Now then let's talk about what you are entitled to as the heir and future head of the Uzuamki." Naruto perked up, wondering what she meant by that.

Tsunade continued "I have a map for you so that you can see the Uzumaki Estate. Kushina never got around to building anything on it, but it is a nice plot of land. I also have some paperwork to allow you to access the Uzumaki Clan Bank Accounts." She handed over a map and said paperwork to Naruto, who gave it a cursory glance. Tsunade continued, motioning to the assembled Clan Heads as she did: "These three all have other business with you as well." "With me? I haven't been back long enough for any pranks, so what business would they have with me?" He said as he suspiciously eyed the three Clan Heads.

Asuma chuckled at Naruto's suspicions, and spoke. "Mine's purely social, Naruto. Kurenai and I are holding a little get together in two nights at the Sarutobi compound. In addition to some of our friends all of the Konoha 12, their Sensei, and the Clan Heads will be in attendance. I figured it would be a good opportunity for you to catch up with everyone." "Sound great, I'll be there Asuma-sensei, thanks."

Shikaku went next: "As you know, there are several future Clan Heads and other influential political figures in your Konoha 12 group. Sasuke is already on the council, but I figured I'd start getting some of the rest of you who will be on the council one day together to give you an orientation to village politics. Sound like something you'd be interested in?"

Naruto enthusiastically nodded, "Yeah, Jiraya-sensei gave me a brief overview of how it worked, but all I really know is that I have to be formal and respectful. I'd really appreciate some pointers, but it will be a while before I'm on the council since I'm not a jonin yet."

Shikaku gave Naruto a knowing grin, "well either way it will be good for you. I'll have Shikamaru let you know when I've found time to start having them."

Finally, Inoichi stepped forward. "Actually, Uzumaki-san, there is a way for you to get on the council sooner, and we could certainly use you as soon as possible." Naruto took a few moments to figure out what Inoichi was talking about. "Huh? You're not talking about putting me in an arranged marriage to some stranger are you Yamanaka-sama?"

Inoichi chuckled. "Arranged marriage? Yes. Stranger? No." He then pulled out a document. "Naruto, this is a contract I've drawn up for a treaty between the Uzumaki Clan and the Yamanka Clan, as part of the contract my daughter Ino would become your wife and join your clan. I've already had Hokage-sama look it over, and she agrees that the agreement is quite beneficial to your clan." Tsunade nodded her head, confirming Inoichi's words.

Naruto was floored. "What? You want me to marry Ino? Why? I hate to tell you this Yamanaka-sama, but my heart will always belong to Sakura-chan!" "And when I told Ino about this the other day she told me her heart will always belong to Sasuke" came Inoichi's response. Realizing that telling Naruto that Ino cared for someone else probably wasn't the best way to convince him to marry her, Inoichi tried a different approach.

"Look, Naruto, you're the Lord of the Uzumaki Clan in all but name. You have a responsibility to this village and to your Clan to produce an heir, to start your clan's rebuilding process. If you don't marry the council will force you to marry someone, and it will likely be a stranger, and quite possibly a distant and cold relationship. I don't think you want that. At least this way it will be someone you are familiar with."

"That makes sense" Naruto said, nodding in understanding, "but what's in it for you? Why do you want me of all people to marry your daughter?" "*sigh* I'm assuming you've heard about what she's been up to these last three years? She hardly ever leaves the house or the shop anymore. She's always depressed. The only reason she hasn't given up on being a shinobi is the fact that she's not allowed to because of clan bylaws. I even had to remove my own daughter from the position of Clan Heiress because of this mess." At this point Inoichi was visibly and audibly upset, clearly distraught at what had happened to his beloved daughter.

"I don't know what she sees in that Uchiha boy, but she's decided that if she can't have him she can never be happy. Naruto, I just want my daughter to be happy, is that too much for a father to ask? You have a way with people, I've seen it. I've seen how colleagues in T&I, and fellow Yamanaka Clansmen, who used to hate your guts are now amongst your strongest supporters. I've seen shinobi who used to want nothing more than to try to kill you speak fondly of you. I've seen how the Hyuga you fought in the Chunin Exams has changed for the better because of you."

Inoichi became more and more emotional as he spoke, falling to his knees. "I've tried everything I can think of to bring my daughter back, and nothing's worked. I don't like forcing my daughter into a marriage, but it's my last resort, my final desperate plan to save her. I'm asking, no, I'm begging you to use whatever your strange charm is on her and let her be happy again. If I have to look into her cold, emotionally dead eyes one more time I'm going to die of grief, she's my little girl!" In a shocking display for the Head of a Clan Inoichi broke down, openly weeping in front of the Hokage, Jonin Commander, his daughter's former sensei, and Naruto.

Shikaku pulled him aside, and tried to offer his old friend some comfort. To get attention off of Inoichi, Tsunade added her opinion on the matter. "Here's the contract, Inoichi's already signed it, and I've signed it as the witness. Read through it, you'll find it is extremely beneficial to the Uzumaki Clan. On a personal level I know how you feel about Sakura, but if you want to be a Clan Head, or even Hokage, you're going to need the emotional toughness to move on from her. I'd much rather see you end up with Ino than married to some merchant's daughter who hates you, or one of Danzo's trained Kunoichi who exist just to produce children with strong shinobi for the Foundation. Hell I thought about offering you Tenten, until Inoichi approached me with this."

Naruto read through the contract, and he had to admit, it was defiantly one sided in favor of the Uzumaki. In exchange for a "treaty of friendship," which was not defined, the Yamanaka would give Ino to Naruto as a bride, a not insignificant amount of money, the deeds to a couple of popular apartment buildings in Konoha, and a controlling stake in the company that ran them. The Yamanaka would also pay for the construction of a mansion on the Uzumaki Estate. Naruto knew that for a clan as wealthy as the Yamanka that was not much, but for a currently dormant clan like the Uzumaki it would be a fine first step on the road to relevancy.

He weighed his options. The old Naruto would have loudly proclaimed his heart was Sakura's no matter what, and that he would never force a friend to marry him against their will. The new Naruto, fresh from three years of political and life lessons from Jiraya, was willing to consider it. _What they say makes a lot of sense. With my heart so set on Sakura-chan I'm not motivated to try to date, so I'd likely be set up with a stranger with the idea that they will either hate me or use me. Ino was kind of a bitch in the academy, but once we became genin she was nicer to me and we became friends. I don't want a friend to be as sad as they say she is, maybe I should do this._

Naruto stared at the contract, lost in thought, for several minutes. During this time Inoichi finally regained his composure, and anxiously waited for Naruto's response. Finally, Naruto spoke. "I have a couple of questions. I notice there are 3 stipulations, and two of them give conflicting information. This says we must both be 16 before the marriage can actually take place. If I remember correctly Ino's just a few weeks older than me so that could be as soon as my birthday in October. However it also says we both must be at least chunin. Given that she has barely trained the last three years that is likely to take a while. Which is it?"

Tsunade couldn't help but smile. _It seems Jiraya taught you something after all kid_. "Two of those stipulations are things that I am trying to make part of the standard arranged marriage contract in Konoha. Both sides must be 16 before the wedding can take place, and if pregnancy is to occur before the age of 18 the it must be ok'd by the highest medical authority in the village, currently me" she stated.

"As for the chunin thing, well I was negotiating with Inoichi on your behalf and insisted it be added. It would be scandalous for the spouse of a Clan Head to either be a civilian or be a genin. The spouses of Clan Heads, wether male or female, are expected to be strong ninja in their own right. In Ino's current state she would do nothing but cause a big scandal that you don't need to be dealing with."

Shikaku then added: "Look at some of the spouses of current Clan Heads: Kurenai Sarutobi and Kakashi Senju are both Jonin. My wife, Inoichi's wife, Choza's wife, and Shibi's wife are all retired, but were Chunin. Hiashi's wife was a chunin before she died. Tsume's husband was a jonin who died in the Nine Tails attack, while they're not married yet Sasuke's fiance is a chunin, and given that good medic-nin are hard to come by she'll likely make Tobuketsu Jonin within a couple of years." The implication was clear.

Naruto understood. "Thanks for looking out for me, baa-chan" came a calm, pensive response. Naruto then turned to Inoichi "What does Ino think of all this?" Inoichi looked down at the floor, slightly embarrassed at his display earlier. "I'm not sure. When I floated the idea she just screamed that her heart belongs to Sasuke then slammed a door in my face. I haven't spoken to her since. That was two days ago. Hopefully she's come to terms with it."

Naruto nodded. "Yamanaka-sama, I'm willing to agree to these terms, however before I sign anything I want to talk to Ino." Inoichi nodded, happy that Naruto was at least willing to consider the idea, and even more pleased that he wanted to speak to Ino before making any decision. "That's fine. She's probably moping around the Flower Shop right now. Thank you, Uzumaki-san."

 _-At the same time, Root/Foundation HQ-_

Within minutes of Naruto and Jiraya's return to Konoha Danzo had been alerted, and had sent agents to shadow Naruto. The Elder was pleased to hear that Naruto retained his close bond with Sasuke and Sakura, it served his needs on several fronts. On one hand it gave Naruto something to keep him loyal to Konoha. Given how the civilians treated him Danzo had always considered the Uzumaki boy a flight risk, which, since he was the village's ultimate weapon, was unacceptable.

Danzo also hadn't given up hope of getting his hands on the boy, and allowing him to achieve his true potential and purpose as a weapon and member of the Foundation. As long as Naruto was close to Sasuke, and Sasuke was loyal to Danzo, there was still some hope that Danzo would be able to do this. There would of course be a lot of resistance from the Hokage and the Clans, so Danzo wasn't ready to try anything yet, but as long as Team 7 remained close to each other it was still a possibility.

There was also the problem of Itachi. Danzo knew the man had his ways of keeping an eye on his brother, and had been very careful in how he approached training Sasuke and Sakura. He hoped that Naruto and Sasuke's friendship would distract Itachi from Danzo's ambitions for his little brother and future nieces and/or nephews.

So it was that Danzo was smiling after receiving reports of Naruto's actions since his return, and began to seriously consider how Naruto fit into his future plans. T _he Jinchuuriki is the key to everything, both for myself and those Will of Fire loving fools. Both sides will be out to court him, and make a strong push to get him squarely in their camp. I wouldn't be surprised if the Hokage is trying to set him up in an arranged marriage as we speak, she'll be eager to get him on the council as the two are close and she'll think of him as a natural ally. However making our weapon the head of a Clan could be useful to me as well. I think it's best if I do all that I can to support it. Perhaps I can get one of my kunoichi agents to wed him?_

 _-20 Minutes Later, Yamanaka Flower Shop-_

Ino was only half paying attention as she watched the shop. Approximately 48 hours earlier her father had informed her that he was going to try to marry her off to Naruto of all people. She had been pretty upset, and understandably so. Naruto was a nice guy, but he was an idiot, and nowhere near as cool as Sasuke. However, she realized that she had no say in the matter, and was certain that Naruto would accept, so she had been slowly trying to come to terms with her now almost certain future. She heard the door to the shop open, and gave a half hearted greeting.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers, How can I...oh, Hi Naruto, welcome back." Naruto closed the door behind him and stepped into the Yamanaka Clan's flower shop. One of many Yamanaka owned business around Konoha, and the only one under the direct oversight of the head of the clan and his family. "Hey, Ino. Thanks, long time no see."

Naruto was shocked at what he saw, Inoichi was right, the Ino that slouched and leaned onto the counter was not the same one that he remembered. Naruto had to admit that she was very attractive, but beyond her superficial appearance he barely recognized her. Her voice lacked the fire and conviction that it once had while berating him for something stupid he had done, or while trading barbs and insults with Sakura. Her blue eyes, once full of fire and passion, now seemed dull and lifeless. Her body language was that of someone who no longer cared, who had given up. All of these were subtle, most people wouldn't recognize them, but Naruto found them all too familiar.

Naruto recognized the signs almost immediately, he had once been much like her, and in some ways he still was. She put in enough effort to keep up appearances and make it seem like everything was fine, but deep down she was hurting. For Naruto it brought back painful memories of all the times villagers beaten him or harassed him, and how dark his life had been at that time.

Only Iruka, Team 7, and the rest of the Konoha 12 acknowledging him had helped him move past the pain and sorrow he had felt. It also made Naruto reflect on the pain he still felt, about his unrequited love of Sakura. He knew he had to move on from that, but it still hurt. Now he was going to have make Ino see it the same way he did. _She's a friend, I have to help her, I can't let anyone else live their life like I lived mine._

In that moment Naruto made up his mind, he was signing that contract no matter what Ino thought. He couldn't really think of anyway to help her other than to acknowledge her and be there for her, and he thought the marriage contract put him in the best position to do that. _Still, she'll likely be pretty upset about it. I'll have to tread lightly for now._

"What brings you here Naruto?" Ino asked, but given the conversation she had with her father two days prior she had a pretty good feeling he was coming to inform her that she was now betrothed to him. _He's here to tell me I belong to him now, that I'm some tool he's going to use to rebuild his clan._ Naruto's initial response was not comforting. "Well, actually, I just got done talking to you dad about something" _Goodbye Sasuke my love! Hello cold, loveless, marriage and life as nothing more than walking baby maker._

"and I wanted to talk to you about it before I made any decision." This was unexpected. _What? He wants my input?_ "What? You wanted to talk to me about it? You know women don't usually get any say in an arranged marriage right? We're just expected to go along with it and obey our new husbands." The old Naruto would have been shocked by this revelation, but Jiraya's lessons and all the reading he had done meant he was fully aware of the reality of most arranged marriages between shinobi clans. Regardless of gender the person leaving one clan to join the other was generally expected to be compliant and obedient to their spouse.

"Well, yeah, but I don't want a cold, loveless marriage. I don't want a submissive, obedient wife who will just cook, clean, and raise my kids." Naruto stopped to gather his thoughts, if he was going to end up marrying this girl he needed to be honest with her, but he had never really spoken about this before. "I faced so much hatred in my life, until Iruka-sensei came along everyone was mean to me. Sure, I have friends now, but the only one I'm really close to is not really the 'talk about hopes, dreams, and other deep personal things type." He purposely avoided mentioning Sasuke, but his description made it fairly clear who he was talking about.

Naruto was getting emotional, but he couldn't really help himself, these were deep feelings that he normally tried to suppress. "I want to be loved, Ino, I want to know what it's like to really have someone care for you, it's something I've never experienced before, and I desperately want it! I know you can't give that to me right now, and to be honest I can't give it to you either. I know I'm much better at hiding it, since I've had my whole life to practice, but I'm in as much pain about Sakura as you are about Sasuke, but we have to move forward, we can't let this ruin our lives."

Ino couldn't believe what she was hearing, sure she knew he had things rough as a kid, and she felt bad at the way she had treated him in the Academy, but she never realized how bad he had it. Naruto spoke of the beatings, especially on his birthday. Of being kicked out of stores simply for trying to buy something. Of drunken shinobi trying to kill him. Of how Team 7 pulled him out of despair.

While he was overall much happier, and no longer feared for his life, he spoke of how much pain he felt when he heard that Sakura was betrothed to Sasuke. They were close friends, and he was happy for them, but even after knowing of it for three years it still hurt. It was a lot for Ino to take in.

Naruto continued "When I first heard about Sasuke and Sakura I was fully prepared to live a sad, lonely life, never able to move on from Sakura. I figured if she was happy then it would be good enough for me. But the more time I spent with Pervy Sage, I realized that was exactly what he was doing with baa-chan, and I could tell he was lying to himself. He thinks he's happy, he thinks that as long as Tsunade lives a fulfilling life he can just watch her from afar and be happy. But it's a lie, he refuses to acknowledge that deep down he's a lonely, miserable old man. I don't want that, and you're my friend and I don't want it for you either. We need to move on, I'm hoping we can help each other through this and build a life together. I'm not saying it will be easy or that things will be perfect, but I never give up. I'll find a way to make both of us happy, and I never go back on my word."

As Naruto spoke Ino began to realize just how petty she seemed. Her issues were nothing compared to his. When she looked into his eyes she saw the same facade she wore, only he was better at hiding his sorrow than she was, and it was harder to get past the fake happiness. Finally, she did, and underneath she saw the same sorrow and pain that she felt, only ten times worse. _He always did really love Sakura, plus he faced all that hatred and discrimination, and he's still not willing to give up. I haven't even dealt with a tenth of what he has gone through and I gave up and sat around moping for three years._

By the time Naruto finished speaking tears were flowing down both of their cheeks, and there was an awkward silence for several minutes as both were lost in thought. Finally, the silence was broken "Naruto, I...I'm sorry that you had to go through so much, I'm sorry for how I treated you in the academy" "You don't need to apologize Ino, we're friends now and that's all that matters."

He pulled out the contract as he spoke "and friends help each other. I came down here wanting to hear your opinion before I made up my mind, but seeing you like this, well I can't let a friend mope around like this. I'm signing this thing as my commitment to you that no matter what I'm going to help you get your life back together Ino! Believe it!"

In the span of a few minutes Naruto had run the emotional spectrum. His speech had led him down to sorrow, his facade broke, and he had been quiet, barley composed, and holding back tears at points. Then the damn broke, and he had been a bit of a mess. Suddenly his desire to help a friend had kicked in, the facade went back up, and he rocketed back up to the Naruto everyone knew, the enthusiastic, rambunctious kid whose infectious personality seemed to win everyone over. However, despite saying he was going to, he hadn't actually signed the contract.

Riding the high of his exuberance, Naruto was surprised at what he heard next: "That's fine, Naruto, go ahead and sign it." "What?" Naruto was taken aback that Ino seemed ok with being forced to marry him.

Seeing his confusion she explained. "I admit until a few minutes ago I hated the idea, but then I realized how much worse you have had things than me, and yet you stayed strong while I folded. You're right. We need to stop acting like love sick puppies and move on with our lives, and you're right, I think this way we can help each other do that. I can't promise I'll ever love you, but I can promise I won't be cold, and I'll abide by the contract. I'll start training again, get myself promoted, marry you, and, when we're ready, I'll help you raise the next generation of Uzumaki. Hopefully during all that we'll learn to love each other."

Naruto's trademark grin beamed back at her. "That's the spirit Ino! but you forgot one thing, I'll need you to be the Uzumaki Clan Head for me at some point." The old Ino, the one who was constantly berating Naruto in the academy, returned for just a second. "You baka! Do you know how many times I read that thing? I figured you wouldn't be able to resist someone as gorgeous as me and that I'd be stuck with you, so I made sure to memorize everything it required me to do! There's nothing in there about me being the Clan Head, You're supposed to be the Clan Head!" "True, but one has to resign from being a Clan Head in order to become Hokage, and that's always been my dream, just you wait Ino. With you by my side I'll be Hokage in no time! believe it!"

Ino couldn't help but laugh. She'd heard that spiel many times before, but this was the first time she ever heard herself included in Naruto's plans to become Hokage. As Naruto signed the contract she was surprised to find herself actually smiling. _He's right, it'll be tough, but we can do this. I can do this, I'm gonna move past Sasuke and put my life together. I guess Ino Uzumaki does have a nice ring to it. Plus, those three years were good to him. He's pretty attractive now._

Behind the door to the shop's office Inoichi couldn't help but smile. He had been faster than Naruto, and got to the shop just before he did. Inoichi was a jonin and Clan Head, and sneaking past his genin daughter unnoticed had been all too easy as well. Now, he was glad that he decided to spy on them. If only for a minute the old Ino was back, that made it all worth it to him.

Naruto was right, the two of them would have a long and windy road to happiness, but he had already managed to do what Inoichi had been unable to do for three years, make his daughter laugh and smile. _I knew I made the right decision entrusting her to you, Naruto. Now I see why Hokage-sama, Jiraya-sama and so many others are so confident in you._

Naruto and Ino made plans to meet up the next day, they needed to present the signed contract to Tsunade, and then Naruto was going to help Ino get started on training again.

Inoichi snuck out of the shop via a window in the office, and then walked back in the front door, as if he was just returning from the Hokage Tower. He quickly let the two know that he'd go with them to the Tower the next day, and that he'd have an architect that the Yamanka clan regularly used and trusted meet them there. Afterword they'd go over to the Uzumaki Estate and get started on making the plans to turn the patch of forest into a true compound. After all the contract did state that the Yamanka would pay for the construction of a mansion on Uzumaki grounds.

 _-10 Minutes Later, the Streets of Konoha-_

Hinata was on a mission. Not a shinobi mission, it hadn't come from the Hokage's office, or even from her sensei or clan. No, this was a personal mission. Over the years Hinata had grown quite a bit.

Her closest friends and teammates, Kiba, Sakura, and Tenten, all could be loud and obnoxious, and the amount of time she spent with them caused them to rub off on her a bit. She spoke up more, and stuttered less. Her two sensei, Kurenai and Shizune, along with her other good friend and Team 8 Teammate Shino, constantly reassured her, and she felt her confidence slowly grow.

Perhaps the biggest boost for her came from her medical training. By combining Shizune's medical knowledge and skill with her Byakugan she had become an incredibly talented medical shinobi over the past three years. While she lacked the general medical knowledge to be a doctor she was already one of the top field medics in the village, and along with her sister-student Sakura, she was widely considered a shoo-in for promotion to jonin or tobuketsu jonin within the next couple of years.

Her medical skills had even won her the approval of many of her Clan's Elders, people who just a few years before had considered her weak and stripped her of the position of clan heiress in favor of her younger sister.

Some of the Elders, supported by most of the branch family, who adored her because of the kindness she showed them, were even pushing for Hinata to take the position of heiress back from Hanabi. Hinata had no interest in forcing the caged bird seal upon her little sister, but was glad to finally be earning some respect within the Hyuga Clan.

Sakura and Hinata had become extremely close over the years, especially since Ino had severed all bonds with Sakura after her engagement to Sasuke, and Hinata was slated to be maid of honor at the wedding in a few months. Tenten was also a good friend from the three of them being on Shizune's team, but the bond wasn't as tight as Tenten hadn't gone through the arduous medical training that Hinata and Sakura had endured together.

Earlier in the day Hinata had heard that her beloved, Naruto, had returned to the village after a three year absence. Hinata was madly in love with him, something known to just about everyone who knew her, except Naruto himself.

She had been ever since she was a little girl and a confident Naruto had tried to intervene when bullies picked on her. He got the snot beaten out of him, but even after all that he still smiled. From that point on he was very special to Hinata, and for the last hour she had been wandering the village looking for him.

She could have used her Byakugan to locate him easily, but she needed time to get herself mentally prepared. She was confident she wouldn't faint in front of him anymore, and was determined that the new, stronger, more confident Hinata would finally tell Naruto just how important he was to her.

Finally, as she turned the corner onto the same street that Yamanaka Flowers was on, she found him, casually joking with Shikamaru and Choji, who he had run into almost immediately after exiting said flower shop. Like all Hyuga she was incredibly skilled at reading lips, and being polite, didn't want to simply interrupt the conversation. She wanted to talk to Naruto while he was alone, so she ducked back into an alley, and activated her Byakugan.

"Troublesome" she saw Shikamaru say. "You're not even back in the village for a whole day and already the fact that you're a clan heir is coming back to bite you." _What? Naruto-kun isn't a clan heir?_ thought a confused Hinata.

"Yeah, but it's important that the Uzumaki Clan gets revived, so I don't mind. Now that I know I'm part of a clan I really want to revive it." _Naruto-kun's actually a member of Clan Uzumaki? How? I thought it was just a coincidence that his last name is Uzumaki, I mean, he doesn't even have red hair_. Hinata was quickly becoming enthralled with the conversation she was spying on, curious what was up.

"Still though, she's a good friend, but Ino is still a genin! I don't know much about Clan Politics, but this doesn't seem like a good idea." added Choji. The kindhearted Akimichi heir was worried about his former teammate, but he didn't want her dragging Naruto's Clan's reputation through the mud either. _What's going on? What does Ino have to do with any of this, she isn't her Clan's heiress anymore_. Hinata had felt a great deal of sympathy for Ino after that had happened, she knew what it was like to be told you weren't good enough for the Clan.

"Nah, it's fine Choji. I just got done talking to her, she's gonna start training again. I'm gonna help her." _Hinata was temporarily reassured. Of course, he heard what happened to her and he convinced her to start training again._ _Naruto-kun, you're such a good friend, helping her get her Shinobi career going again._

"It's a drag though, like I said, you haven't even been back a whole day and they've already got you in an arranged marriage with the single most troublesome woman in our class."

Hinata's brain broke upon hearing that. Arranged? _Marriage? Ino? Naruto-kun?_ It took Hinata a couple of seconds to recover from her initial shock and process what she heard. Suddenly the whole conversation made sense. Her upbringing in the main branch of the Hyuga Clan meant that she was well versed in how Clan Politics worked, and she put 2 and 2 together pretty easily.

 _Naruto-kun is actually the last member of the Uzumaki Clan, and thus eligible to sit on the council. Konoha doesn't want the Uzumaki Line to die out, so they've put him in an arranged marriage. They chose Ino because she is from a notable clan that doesn't restrict marriages like the Hyuga, and is from that Clan's main family, but isn't the heiress, thus making her a perfect candidate for an alliance by marriage. She needs to make chunin because it would be unacceptable for a Clan Head to be married to a genin, and Naruto-kun seems excited about this and is going to help her train. It's not fair! I'm the one who loves Naruto-kun, not her, she was always too obsessed with Sasuke to notice Naruto-kun. It's not fair! It's not fair!_

As her initial anger subsided Hinata sank to her knees and started crying, careful to be quiet, after all the only way having a breakdown like this in public would be more embarrassing was if Naruto heard it and noticed her. She stayed in the alley, sobbing, for several hours. She skipped a spar she had agreed to, and soon afterwards she noticed a Hawk-nin flying over the village. _One of the Uchiha Clan summons_ , _Sakura must be looking for me._ _She must be worried I didn't show up to spar with her._

Sure enough about 10 minutes later Sakura walked into the alley, and was surprised to see Hinata sitting in the dirt, crying. "Hinata-chan! What's wrong? What happened?" she called as she ran towards the Hyuga and sat down next to her.

Hinata buried her head into Sakura's arm. Her distress caused her old stutter to return a bit as she spoke, while Sakura's arm muffled the sound. "I heard that N-Naruto-kun was back in the village, and I was looking for him to finally tell him how I feel about him. I saw him talking to Shikamaru-kun and Choji-kun and didn't want to interrupt, so I used my Byakugan to read lips. N-Naruto-kun said that he had just been put in an a-arranged m-m-marriage with Ino!"

Sakura was shocked by the news, and tried to comfort her friend. "Oh, Hinata, I'm so sorry, I know how much he means to you." she said softly as she wrapped an arm around her friend. With her other arm she motioned to the Hawk, now perched on top of a building, and it flew down and landed on her wrist. "Tell Sasuke-kun about Naruto and Ino's engagement, and tell my parents that I had an emergency team meeting come up and that I won't be home for dinner. As the Hawk flew off Sakura wrapped both arms around Hinata and pulled her into a tight hug.

While Sakura's main emotion was that of sympathy for her friend's loss she had mixed views of the idea of Naruto and Ino together. When Ino had severed their bond it hurt her. Sure the two had been fierce rivals, and often argued in public, but they were good friends, and Ino's refusal to associate with Sakura since her betrothal hurt her deeply.

Sakura and Naruto were so close they were practically siblings. Or at least that's how she viewed them, she was unaware of just how deep Naruto's feelings for her were. She was hopeful that their good relationship would lead to becoming friends with Ino again. On the other hand, in her experience Naruto and Ino were both incredibly stubborn, and she worried about their relationship dynamics. Ultimately she just wanted everyone in the Konoha 12 to just be happy, and she wished them well, but she'd still probably chew them out for hurting Hinata.

Sakura and Hinata sat in the alley late into the night, Hinata crying, and Sakura comforting her friend. By the time Sakura got home it was well after midnight, she was cold, tired, hungry, and above all else worried that all the progress and confidence her sister-student had made over the last three years would be lost, all because of politics.

-End of Chapter-

* * *

Forget Kotoamatsukami, clearly the single most powerful genjutsu in the Naruto Universe is the Talk no Jutsu. I kid of course, but it certainly gets a work out in this chapter. I'm not planning on it being a regular occurrence though, so don't worry.

Few things:

Sakura still lives with her parents.

Sakura is aware that Naruto liked her, but always chalked it up to nothing more than a small crush, and has assumed that he moved on during his three year training trip. It is actually much more of a Jiraya-Tsunade dynamic though, just without the pervy stuff.

Hinata is still a member of the main branch, primarily due to Hiashi trying to stall the clan elders, not wanting either of his daughters branded with the seal.

Naruto and Ino's facades:

Naruto: Sterotypical Part 1 Naruto was, at first, just an act (except for his ninja way and desire to be hokage) he put on a false front and pretended to be happy in order to distract himself from the sorrow he felt. Over time it just became part of his natural personality, he still felt the pain and sorrow though. When He heard about the Uchiha-Haruno contract he again put up a false front, this time in order to hide the pain he felt about sakura. His personality didn't change, he just hid his sorrow. Very similar to what Jiraya kinda does with Tsunade, as was mentioned in the chapter.

Ino's is also very Jiraya's, she just sucks at hiding her pain and sorrow. There is nothing deeper than that with her since her background was much more sheltered than Naruto's was.

I briefly addressed this after chapter 3, but it seems I need to address it again. Narutopedia clearly states that Danzo is able to use Kotoamatsukami more often than normal thanks to Hashirama Cells, but that Danzo states that it still can't be used multiple times in a day, and cites a chapter of the manga as the source for this. To me that is a pretty clear implication that Danzo can use it at least once a day. No Danzo is not going to actually use it once a day. He's trying to keep the fact that he has it a secret, so he rarely uses it.

Thanks for reading

\- Col. Bogey


	6. Chapter 6

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

* * *

Early the next morning Inoichi and Ino met Naruto in front of the Hokage Tower, and the three submitted the contract between the Yamanaka and Uzumaki Clans. Naruto had also filled out the forms Tsunade had given him in order to gain access to the Uzumaki Clan accounts, and he submitted them as well. Tsunade congratulated Naruto and Ino, and told Naruto that he would likely be summoned before the council's next meeting in a few days. After she dismissed them, the trio met up with the architect Inoichi had promised, and the four of them headed out, first to a bank so that Naruto could get access to his clan's assets, and then to the Uzumaki Estate.

As the newest of Konoha's clans the Uzumaki Estate was also one of the smaller clan properties in Konoha. It has never been lived on, as the only person to ever be an official member of the Konoha branch of the Uzumaki Clan, Kushina, had lived at the Senju compound from the time she moved to Konoha until she married, and then moved into her husband's house. It wasn't until after her husband became Hokage that the Uzumaki had been recognized as a clan and given the parcel of land.

That being said the Uzumaki Estate was quite beautiful. About 15 acres in total, the estate was mostly forest, though there was also a large pond, and a couple of overgrown clearings that were clearly intended to be either training fields or were cleared for buildings.

Neither Nartuto nor Ino knew much about architecture, but thankfully for them the architect came to the meeting prepared. Through seemingly sheer coincidence this same architect was the daughter of an architect who had once been hired by Kushina to draw up designs for a completed Uzumaki Compound. Given that the architect considered the plans amongst his best work, his daughter had kept them, and now submitted them to Naruto.

Naruto loved the plans, and mentally promised himself he would see his mother's vision come true, but for now he was just focused on the Clan Head's Mansion. He and Ino quickly looked through the plans for the mansion Kushina had designed and heartily agreed to it, so while Inoichi and the architect spoke further about it, Inoichi and the Yamanka were paying for the mansion after all, Naruto and Ino further looked over the plans for the whole compound.

Ino spotted a building in the middle of a cluster of trees on the edge of the plans, and was curious. "Hey Architect-san, what's with this building so far removed from the rest of them?" The architect came over to look at what Ino was talking about, and answered. "That building is actually already there. Apparently Lord First's wife was from the Uzumaki Clan, and when she moved here from Uzu she had that building constructed. It's some kind of Uzumaki temple. Apparently the fact that the temple was already here was the main reason the Uzumaki Clan was granted this plot of land in the first place."

 _Uzumaki Clan...temple? I gotta see it!_ Naruto could barely contain his excitement. "Hey, Ino, let's go find the temple and take a look around!" cried Naruto as he raced off. _That baka, I can't believe he just ran off like that. I guess at least my life will be a lot less boring with him._ Ino looked over to her father and the architect, confirming that they didn't need her or Naruto for anything, before racing off to catch up with a cry of "Wait for me Naruto-baka!"

It took them about 10 minutes of searching through the forest before they found themselves in a small clearing, staring at a run down Temple. Clearly no one had been inside it for many years. The two young shinobi made their way inside to find themselves staring at a wall of masks. _Well that's creepy_ , was Ino's take on the masks. Naruto however had run up to them, and was trying to decide which mask to take down and try on first. Ino noticed his actions just before he put on a mask "Naruto don't! We don't know what they are here for, for all you know these could be some sacred masks that only priests are allowed to touch!" He begrudgingly agreed, but as he was putting the mask back he accidentally cut himself on something. The cut was nothing his Kyuubi enhanced healing couldn't handle, and within seconds it had closed back up, but not before leaking a small amount of blood onto his thumb.

Naruto, still excited about the fact that this temple was here, dashed from room to room. Ino on the other hand took a more cautious approach, taking time to process what was in each room before heading to the next one. It didn't take her that long to make it through the temple, since it was mostly empty, and eventually she found herself in the back of the temple, where Naruto was staring at a large Uzumaki Clan Crest painted on the wall, seemingly lost in thought. _This is an awful lot for me to take in, and I'm not even a member of the Uzumaki Clan yet. I can't imagine what he's going through._ She thought as she watched him.

Naruto moved forward and placed his hand in the center of the crest, as if trying to forge some deeper connection with his clan. The traces of blood left on his thumb interacted with the crest, and it started to glow. Naruto jumped back in shock as the wall the crest was on swung out, revealing a staircase heading down to some sort of subterranean level. "What happened?" he cried out is surprise. "It's likely some sort of Fuinjutsu that reacts to Uzumaki Chakra or Blood." Ino answered. "Whatever's down there must be really important."

Ino and Naruto cautiously made their way down the stairs. Seals on the walls produced enough light to clearly see, but not knowing what waited for them at the bottom, they were careful. When they finally reached the bottom they found a large, well lit room full of books and scrolls, as well as several dusty desks and chairs. Clearly a library of some sorts.

Naruto, who had come to appreciate reading over his training trip, excitedly took a look at some of the contents. The Library seemed to primarily contain books on the history and traditions of the Uzumaki Clan, the complete history of Uzushiogakure, and plenty of fuinjutsu scrolls and treatises. Journals of notable members of the Clan from throughout history were also found, as were texts on the various villages and clans of the Shinobi World.

Ino, interested in learning more about the clan she was to marry into, pulled out a heavy text entitled _The Complete_ _Laws and Bylaws of the Uzumaki Clan, volume 1.,_ and made her way to a desk to start reading, but stopped when she saw something already on the desk. "Naruto, come look at this!" He made his way over, and was surprised to see an envelope with the word "Naruto" written on it. Unsure what to expect he picked up and opened the envelope, pulled out the letter inside, and started to read.

 _Naruto,_

 _If you're reading this, than unfortunately I'm not around to show you this library. I suppose I should just be glad you found this place, I'm pleased that you figured out that the Clan Crest on the wall is actually a hidden door activated by the blood of an Uzumaki. Or did you have help from your father?_

 _As I'm writing this letter, I'm 7 months pregnant, and in two months I finally get to meet you, I can't wait. I hope that you never have to see this letter, that I'll be around as you grow up, and can show you this wonderful place when you're old enough. But I'm a shinobi, so I wanted to have a backup plan. Obviously since you're reading this it's a good thing I did._

 _I don't know how old you were when I died, if you were a baby, toddler, academy student, or genin. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. I want you to know how much I love you, and that whatever time we spent together was the happiest time of my life, because it was with you. I hope your father is still around to care for you, but while he knows more than most about the Uzumaki Clan, he's not actually a clan member, and can't explain everything to you._

 _This place is all that remains of the great library of Uzushiogakure. Mito-sama started it once she moved here, and after Uzu's destruction I saved what I could and added it to her collection, but we lost so much when our home was destroyed. Depending on how much you know of our Clan and of Uzu I suggest you start your reading with the books on our history, traditions, and Clan Law. I also suggest you spend some time with the Fuinjutsu books. After all, our clan is known for our natural affinity for the sealing arts._

 _Naruto, you are the heir of Konoha's Uzumaki Clan. There are so few of us left, the survivors of the destruction of Uzu were scattered around the world, and we lost touch with them. For all we know you could be the last Uzumaki, and it's up to you to lead the clan back to its former glory. I'm so sorry I have to put that weight on your shoulders, it was supposed to be my burden, not yours._

 _I do have one person you can go to for help though. Tsunade Senju, of the legendary Sanin, is ¼ Uzumaki, and a very distant relative of ours. She's the Grand-daughter of Mito-sama and Hashirama Senju, Lord 1st. She's a member of the Senju Clan, but the blood of Uzu does run through her, and while no more knowledgable about our Clan than your father, I'm sure she'll do whatever she can to help._

 _As the previous Clan Head I ask that nothing leaves this library until you have a safe, secure, and secret place like this one to store it in. Many of these books contain clan secrets, and we can't have them fall into the hands of outsiders. I've had some plans drawn up for a mansion that includes a secret library. You can find the designs at the Azuto Architecture Firm. I trust the head architect, his daughter is a good friend of mine. Who knows? Maybe by the time you're reading this she'll be running the company! You'll be able to find instructions to make the necessary Fuinjutsu seals to secure that library like this one in volume 7 of the treatise titled "Intermediate Uzumaki Clan Fuinjutsu"_

 _Once again, I can't express in words just how much I love you, and how sorry I am that I can't be there for you. I'll be watching over you though, so once you're recognized as Clan Head you better get started on making me some Uzumaki Grand-babies! I'll haunt you until you do!_

 _Love, Your Mother,_

 _Kushina Uzumaki_

 _P.S. There's a scroll on how to modify the Fuinjutsu on the door to this library so that it will accept the blood of a selected individuals who do not have Uzumaki DNA. We use it for people who marry into the Clan, and it's how your father has access to this library. I'd suggest you read that one too, I'm sure my future daughter-in-law (or are you already married?) would want to spend some time here learning about her new clan. I don't know what she'll be like, but be kind to her, Naruto. If you end up like Jiraya-sensei she and I will team up to make the afterlife miserable for you._

As he finished reading the letter Naruto put it down on the desk and made his way over to a recliner, which he slouched into, oblivious to the world around him. Curiosity got the better of Ino, and she picked up the letter and started reading. _This is incredible! We know who Naruto's mother is! He's related to Tsunade-sama! This place has all the surviving knowledge of Uzu! This library is going to be very_ _useful for us!_ Once she got past her initial reaction she realized the letter probably put Naruto through an emotional rollercoaster, and she walked dusted off the recliner next to his before she sat down and looked straight into his eyes. "You ok?"

Naruto met her gaze, eyes clearly conflicted, but he said "Yeah, Pervy Sage told me who my mother was on our training trip. I actually visited her grave as soon as I got back yesterday. I guess I'll need to go again to day and thank her for the letter." Ino nodded. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry you grew up with out your parents...if it's ok I'd like to go with you to meet her." Naruto smiled. "I think she'd like that."

"That being said I'd appreciate if you didn't lie to me. I can tell you're not Ok." Ino continued, sternly. "I know you put on a happy and innocent false front to hide your true emotions, and I've been doing the same, can't have a future Clan Head and their Spouse going around town all depressed after all. But even if we lie to the outside world we need to be honest with each other. Didn't we just have this conversation yesterday? I know we're both stuck in unrequited loves and don't view each other romantically, but we're now teammates on the mission that is Life, at minimum we need to be best friends. And if we're going to succeed we need to be open and honest with each other."

Naruto understood, "You're right, I'm sorry Ino, and I'm still planning on doing everything I can to get over Sakura and fall in love with you. Like we said yesterday, we need to do everything we can to be happy." He paused, and his deep blue eyes bored straight into Ino's light blue eyes. "I won't put up a false front for you. I'm emotionally overwhelmed right now. Between seeing Sakura after 3 years, visiting my mom's grave, this letter, fears that I'll let her and the Clan down, fears that I'll let you down…I'm just a wreck."

Ino put her hand on Naruto's, not in a romantic way, but in a reassuring manner. "You don't need to worry about letting me down, as long as you and I never give up, even if things don't go as planned, we won't let each other down. As for your mom, I'm pretty sure she loves you unconditionally, and will be proud of you no matter what. I'm almost certain she's proud of how you've handled everything so far."

"Thanks, Ino." They sat in those chairs, silently reassuring each other, for a half hour. Eventually they got back to the business at hand, and by Lunch time they had been able to successfully modify the seal to allow Ino access to the library. It wasn't particularly difficult since Naruto already had a pretty good understanding of Fuinjutsu thanks to his training trip with Jiraya. After lunch they made a quick trip to the cemetery, where Ino introduced herself to Kushina, and Naruto thanked her for the letter. After than Naruto and Ino went there separate ways, promising to meet at the Uzumaki Estate for training in the morning.

- _The Next Day-_

Naruto and Ino were training bright and early. The previous afternoon Naruto had some clones clear out a training ground on the estate while he had spent time in the library.

Ino had kept herself in excellent shape by civilian standards, but by Shinobi standards she was incredibly out of shape, and she figured most of the next month or two would be spent dedicated to chakra control exercises and physical conditioning.

While she and Naruto ran laps around their new training ground he had clones reading all the fuinjutsu books in the library. Each time one finished a book or a scroll they dispelled, and Naruto would create several more to practice the seals from said book. He had invented the Shadow Clone training method after Jiraya had made him aware that shadow clones pass their memories on to the original, and was using it to great effect.

Again Naruto and Ino had lunch with each other, and they had to admit that while still not viewing the other romantically, that would take much longer than just a couple of days, they enjoyed each other's company, and were becoming very good friends.

It was the day of Asuma and Kurenai's gathering, and Naruto knew he had to make a good impression. This would be the first time he would in the same room as all the other Clan Heads. He had never been to a clan social function, and had no idea how to behave, so he asked Ino. The former Yamanka heiress had been invited to the party a few weeks prior, but as she largely isolated her self for the past three years had not planned on attending. Now she had little choice but to attend. While not publicly announced, her betrothal to Naruto was known by all the Clan Heads, and as the future spouse of a Clan Head she would be expected to attend all such social gatherings.

As she explained what would be expected from the two of them at the party she was shocked to learn that Naruto owned absolutely no formal wear. Though rusty from 3 years of little use, her old shopaholic instincts took over, and she dragged Naruto off to Konoha's commercial center.

Much of Ino's afternoon was spent forcing Naruto to try on a variety clothing, or forcing him to sit there and give her feedback as she tried on some clothing. After a quick trip to the bank, where Naruto was forced to make his first withdrawal out of the Uzumaki Clan accounts, purchases for both of them were made.

Konoha tailors and clothing retailers were used to members of shinobi clans or civilian guilds wanting a crest or symbol on the back of their clothing, and so were quick and efficient in customizing Naruto's purchases with the Uzumaki Crest, while most of Ino's were given both the Yamanaka and Uzumaki Crests, reflecting her status as a member of one clan who was promised to the other. After their wedding she'd buy a new set with only the Uzumaki Spiral. The two separated as Ino headed back to the Yamanaka Compound and Naruto went to his apartment, with plans for Naruto to pick Ino up on the way to the party at the Sarutobi compound.

 _-That evening, the Sarutobi Clan compound_ -

Ino was not looking forward to this party, there were too many people who had reason to have issues with her who were going to be in attendance. She was sure that Asuma and Kurenai thought poorly of her, since they had been her teachers and she had essentially given up. She hadn't talked to most of the other Konoha 12 members in years, Outside of Naruto only Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, and Hinata remained a part of her life, and even then that was only because the 4 of them refused to let her hide her self away, but now Hinata probably hated her given her feelings for Naruto. It goes without saying that she had absolutely no interest in talking to Sakura or Sasuke.

To make mattes worse everyone seemed to want to talk to her and Naruto, welcoming him back to the village, and offering them congratulations and best wishes. The old Ino would have loved being the center of attention, dressed to the nines and having an attractive man as her date. The Ino of the last three years just wanted to curl up in a ball and avoid everyone, and to make matters worse Sakura kept glaring at the two of them. Ino was supposed to be the one glaring at Sakura and Sasuke, not the other way around. Thankfully Naruto was good at reading people, and always knew when to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, or offer a compliment on her appearance.

Ino had only one objective for the night, and as Team 7 finally approached Naruto she excused herself and made a beeline for the balcony. There she found her target, Hinata. Ino was terrified that one of the few friends she had left would now hate her, and she was desperate to try to do as much damage control as possible.

"Hey, Hinata, can we talk?" "Oh, Ino, of course, what's up?" Ino took in a deep breath, prepared to get chewed out after she was done talking. "Look, I know how you feel about Naruto, and I want to say I'm sorry. It was never my intention to take him from you...I went through a similar thing with Sasuke and I lost one of my bests friends because of it. I don't want to lose another friend just because the shoe is on the other foot this time."

Ino held her breath, nervously waiting for the furious reaction she was sure was coming. Hinata's response shocked her. "It's true that I'm pretty depressed about the whole thing, but I don't blame you Ino." Ino was flabbergasted. "I'm sorry, what?" "I don't blame you. I know that if I go find a copy of the contract between the Yamanaka and Uzumaki your name won't be on it. You didn't set this up, and I can't blame you for trying to make the most of it. It's not your fault that your dad dangled you in front of Naruto-kun like a piece of meat."

Ino wasn't particularly fond of what Hinata was insinuating, but was willing to let it go for the sake of her larger objective. "So, we're still friends then?" Hinata nodded. "Oh course, Ino, just promise me you'll love and treasure Naruto-kun for me." Ino shook her head. "You know how I feel, Hinata. You know I can't promise you that, but I can promise that he'll be my best friend, that I won't be cold to him, and that I'll do my best to learn to love him." "I suppose that will have to do." Hinata said as she pulled Ino into a reassuring hug, though Ino could tell that while Hinata was telling the truth, she was pretty devastated by the whole thing.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had wandered off to find his wife, and Sasuke was heading to the snack bar, so much to Naruto's dismay he was left alone with the girl he was trying to move past, Sakura. She was clearly upset with him, but he had been unable to figure out why. Now, with her fiance and sensei out of the way, she let Naruto have it."

"You baka! You have the sweetest, most adorable girl who's been madly in love with you since early academy days. A love that was super obvious to everyone but you, and she worked so hard to be able to finally express her feelings to you! But noooo, on the very day you come back, and while she is trying to find you to tell you how she feels, you have to go and sign a marriage contract for Ino? I can't believe you!" She punched him like they were back in the academy. Thankfully, Danzo had seen to it that Sakura was taught to behave at such social gatherings, so she didn't use her chakra infused super-strength. Tenten wasn't the only one learning taijutsu from the Hokage!

Naruto was confused "W-Wait, Sakura-chan! I have no idea what you're talking about." "Of course you don't idiot! You broke Hinata's heart, and you are going to make it up to her some how! You hear me?"

 _H-Hinata loves me? What?_ "O-Ok Sakura-chan, I'll talk to her tomorrow. I thought you'd be happy I'm betrothed to Ino, it will force her to move past Sasuke after all, right?" As Ino returned from her conversation with Hinata, Sakura stormed off, full of conflicting emotions, and a strong desire to hurt Naruto in a way that would not be acceptable for the soon to be matriarch of the Uchiha Clan to act towards a high ranking member of another clan.

Ino watched Sakura storm off. "I don't know what you did, Naruto, but you really pissed her off." "Yeah, she's pissed you and I are betrothed to each other. Apparently Hinata has feelings for me, and Sakura was yelling at me for it." "Naruto, you were the only one who didn't know about Hinata's feelings for you."

Naruto was surprised to find out Ino already knew about them. "Really? You knew too, Ino?" "Yeah, I did. I actually just got done to talking to her. She took it a lot better than I did when I found out Sasuke was put in an arranged marriage, but she's still pretty depressed. Thankfully I think she's more upset at my dad than she is at me."

Naruto and Ino's conversation was interrupted as Asuma stood, and addressed the crowd. "Can I have everyone's attention please? First off Kurenai and I want to thank you all for being here. It's been a while since the Konoha 12 and those of us fortunate to be called sensei by them have all been in the same room together, so before I get to my main reason for calling you all here I'd like to take a moment to say: Welcome back Naruto, it's been way too quiet without you. Our best wishes to you and Ino, and should you ever need anything know that you have a friend in the Sarutobi Clan."

The room, filled with the Konoha 12, their teachers, and high ranking members of Konoha's shinobi clans, generally echoed Asuma's sentiment, and many voices joined in welcoming the Uzumaki heir and wishing him and his betrothed well. After all, Hyuga and Uchiha aside the Clans had been some of Naruto's strongest supporters over the years. When the room settled down again, Asuma continued.

"The real reason we called you all here tonight is to let you know that in 6 months time the Sarutobi Clan will officially welcome a new heir or heiress, because my lovely wife, Kurenai Sarutobi, is three months pregnant." The congratulations were considerably louder and more enthusiastic this time. The birth of a new heir or heiress was a big deal after all.

All the attention that had been on Naruto, and to a lesser extent Ino, at the beginning of the party shifted to Asuma and Kurenai. Naruto and Ino joined in the well wishes, and Ino was surprised by the friendly response she got from her former teachers. Kurenai even went so far to say that now that she had a lot of free time due to the pregnancy she would be happy to supervise Ino's training and offer advice, an offer which Ino readily accepted. The revelry lasted late into the night, as the high society of Konoha's Shinobi celebrated the return of one of their own, and the announcement of a new Clan Heir.

- _Sunagakure-_

As the elites of Konoha's forces danced the night away at the Sarutobi Compound three figures stood near the entrance to Konoha's main ally. "Welcome back to the Hidden Sand, Sasori-sama" remarked one of the figures as he bowed to diminutive, strange looking man and his tall blond companion. "So this is your home village, eh Sasori my man?" remarked the blond figure, garbed in a long black cloak with red clouds. "I'm sure you want to see what's changed, so let me take care of the target for you."

"Just don't keep me waiting Deidara" came the gruff response from the short, strange looking man "You know how I hate to be kept waiting." Deidara nodded in acknowledgement and the two went their separate ways. One was off to lay traps, the other to hunt their target.

-End of Chapter-

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Mirai Sarutobi confirmed! I'm not actually sure who takes over as Sarutobi Clan head in Naruto. Does Asuma become Clan Head after Konoha Crush? Is Konohamaru the Sarutobi Clan Head during Boruto? Is someone else? I don't think it's ever stated. I'd argue that we actually know a lot less about the Sarutobi Clan than most of Konoha's other major clans, strange given that three of its members are fairly important characters. This story is obviously going with Asuma as Clan Head, and Mirai will be heiress.

Some clarifications based on reviews/pms:

Just because Naruto has found out that he was a member of the Uzumaki Clan and that Kushina was his mother does not mean that he is aware that Minato was his father.

The Namikaze are not a clan. At the beginning of this story I clearly outlined that Konoha has only 10 clans in this story. In this story the other canon clans, like the Hatake and Kurama Clans are still around, they are just shinobi families, smaller and less powerful than the clans, but in they still exist. I should also point out that I've never seen anything that states that Namikaze was even a clan in canon. Does this mean I'm planning on ignoring Naruto's paternal lineage? No. I do have to save some things for later in the story though, can't play every card in my hand at once.

A couple people pointed out that they didn't think I made Naruto improve very much during the time skip. While I disagree, I would suggest that if this is a problem for you perhaps you should look at it as him coming back far more well rounded than in canon. Fuinjutsu, already working on his wind affinity, his taijutsu style was refined, weapons, all things that he doesn't really show in canon until later (if at all) that he comes back from the timeskip with here in this story. I would also point out that ninja skills are much less important in this story than in others. Not that there won't still be action, adventure, and fights, but that they will be less common, at least for now.

On the idea of "adopting" people into the clan:  
If other blood Uzumakis appear (ie Karin) then yes he'd absolutely try to get them to join up. However, unlike the Senju, who have no bloodline and are largely just a name at this point the Uzumaki do have some genetic traits they would want to keep in the clan. Chains, Fuinjutu affinity, higher than average chakra reserves. These are all genetic traits, adding random people and saying "ok, you're Uzumaki now" won't help keep those traits afloat. This doesn't apply to Ino since her kids will still have Uzumaki blood due to Naruto. Marriage to non-Uzumaki is fine, just adding non-Uzumaki though? I'm not sure if I like that.

Thanks for your questions and comments.

Clarification on clan estate sizes: I've only described two of them in this story, but the way I described them may give you conflicting information.

Senju compound was described in ch 2. as "hey had one of the largest clan compounds in the village. Situated on the outskirts the Senju Clan Compound included over 20 buildings, 10 training fields, their own private lake, and 10 acres of dense forest."

Uzumaki is described as one of the smallest at 15 acres, but 1510 so what's up?  
Answer: Senju is 20 buildings, 10 training fields, a lake, and then on top of all that 10 acres of forest. 20 buildings, 10 training fields, and a lake is going to take up more than 5 acres. Training fields for Shinobi are probably pretty big. The lake is a lake, not a pond, so it's a pretty decent size. Buildings can be spread out. All in all, easily more than 15 acres.

Next time we start Kazekage rescue, so that should be fun. Kazekage rescue will have two parts to it. A) An abbreviated version of the actual rescue of Gaara, and that story. Given that Sasuke never defected it will be somewhat different from canon. B) A Council meeting that takes place during the mission to rescue Gaara. One where Naruto's status will be discussed. As such there will be 2, possibly three chapters around the arc.

Thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


	7. Chapter 7: Kazekage Rescue

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

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- _The Next Morning-_

Once again Naruto and Ino were at the Uzumaki Estate bright and early for training. Once more the focus was on conditioning and chakra control for Ino and Fuinjutsu for Naruto, but he also had clones reading over other books and scrolls in the Uzumaki Library as well. After only a couple of hours an ANBU showed up summoning Naruto to the Hokage's Office, leaving Ino and Naruto's clones on their own.

- _Shortly Thereafter, The Hokage's Office-_

"Well, this really is a nostalgic feeling, to what do we owe the reason for this reunion, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi Senju, formerly Hatake, enquired of his mother-in-law. It was indeed a Team 7 reunion, as Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were assembled in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade addressed the group. "I would like to put Team 7 back together as an official team, Team Kakashi. I'm assuming you won't object if I officially put you back on the mission list, Uchiha-san?"

"Hn, I have no objections to working with my old team, Hokage-sama" came Sasuke's distant but obviously pleased response. Sakura could tell that it was merely an act, Sasuke was actually thrilled at the idea of Team 7, his family, getting back together.

"Good. I herby christen this group Team Kakashi. Jonin Kakashi Senju is the commander and senior officer. Tobuketsu Jonin Sasuke Uchiha is the junior officer, Chunin Sakura Haruno will be the medic, and Chunin Naruto Uzumaki rounds out team." Tsunade continued.

"Before I send you out on a mission though I need to see what this team is truly capable of, especially you Naruto. No one except Jiraya has any idea of what you are really capable of.

As Tsunade went on to describe how she wanted to test the members of Team Kakashi a woman from the Cipher Corp burst in to the office. "Hokage-sama, you need to see this! it's urgent!" Tsunade took the scroll from the clearly shaken chunin and looked it over, her facial expression contorting into a frown as she read. As she finished she slammed her fist into her desk.

"Disregard what I said about a test, it will have to wait. We've just received word from Suna. The Kazekage, our ally, has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki. The four of you are to grab your gear and depart for Suna immediately. Once there I want you to assist them however they deem necessary. I'll also be redirecting another team over to Suna as well, so you can expect reinforcements. Dismissed!"

Sasuke was going to raise the point that sending a jinchuuriki, the Heads/Future Heads of two different clans, and the spouse of another Clan Head after the Akatsuki maybe wasn't the smartest idea, but one look at Naruto's facial expression shut him up. _That's right, Naruto told us the other day that He considers Gaara a brother. I consider Naruto my brother. So does Sakura, and Kakashi cares for him too. This really is the best team for the job._

The four dashed out of the tower and back to their homes. On the way Kakashi sent Pakkun to the hospital to inform Shizune he would be gone for a while, while Naruto sent a shadow clone to do the same with Ino, and to have all his clones that were still training dispel. At her house Sakura informed her parents, Sasuke's family was all on the mission with him, but he covertly sent a hawk to inform Danzo. Within twenty minutes they departed from Konoha, making a beeline for the Land of Wind as fast as they could.

The journey to Suna was mostly silent. Naruto especially was lost in thought, concern for his fellow jinchuuriki and friend evident on his face. Before the end of the first day they had been joined by Temari. Gaara's elder sister had been returning from a diplomatic mission to Konoha. While worried due to some superstition and some strange occurrences that morning, she had been unaware of what had transpired, and after being informed by Kakashi quickly joined the race to Suna.

If it was up to Naruto and Temari they would have gone straight through to Suna without stopping for rest, thankfully Kakashi was in charge, and the group did stop for a couple of hours on the first night. Not a full rest though, time was of the essence after all.

Meanwhile, a Konoha messenger hawk was received by a jonin clad in green, informing him that upon his team's completion of their current mission they were not to return for debriefing, and instead head straight to Suna. Unusual since they had only just started their mission, having been deployed a couple of hours before Team 7.

They likely wouldn't be done with their current mission for 24 to 36 hours, but he made up his mind that the second it was over he was going to challenge his most youthful pupil to a race to Suna. Elsewhere, a single ANBU left Konoha that night, making his way in the direction of the Land of Wind.

- _Sunagakure, The Village Hidden in the Sand_ -

The journey from Konoha to Suna normally takes 3 days. Team 7 and Temari made it in 2.5. Upon arrival they learned of the fact that the third member of the Sand Siblings, Kankuro, was in critical condition due to poison he sustained while in pursuit of the Akatsuki.

Sakura immediately set to work healing him, but told the other three members of her squad not to wait up. Kakashi then made the decision. They would rest for a couple of hours, and then immediately set out after the Akatsuki. Sakura would catch up to them once Kankuro's condition was stabilized.

As they left Suna they were joined by a village elder, Chiyo. Chiyo was the grandmother of Sasori of the Red Sand, the Rogue-nin who was suspected of having poisoned Kankuro, though given the fact that he was still unconscious they couldn't confirm that.

Meanwhile Suna's council was suddenly in complete control of the village due to the Kazekage's unexpected absence and emergency powers invested in the council. In an attempt to keep up appearances that nothing was wrong, threy gave Temari orders to deploy to a remote base as part of a border patrol. Temari's team included Matsuri, a kunoichi who was known to be an admirer of Gaara, and one of the few people besides his siblings and Naruto who was a part of the Kazekage's inner circle.

Whatever portion of Suna's population that had still been hesitant about Gaara becoming the Kazekage had been won over during his battle with the Akatsuki, in which he had sacrificed his own safety to prevent a bomb from destroying the village, so Suna's shinobi bristled at being unable to go and look for their Kage. This particular team, including Gaara's sister and greatest admirer, was especially upset.

"Temari-sama, why are we abandoning Gaara-sama? After all he did for us in the fight against the Akatsuki we're really going to betray him?" asked a clearly upset Matsuri.

"No, Matsuri, it is the council that is betraying him. I need the three of you to keep going on your patrol. What I'm about to do is at minimum insubordination, and at maximum could be considered treason." Matsuri looked over in shock. "You're going after him aren't you?" "Of course, he's my little brother, I have to protect him."

"I'm coming too!" Matsuri confidently declared. Temari looked at the other two members of the squad, and saw that they were equally determined to help their Kage. "I appreciate your sentiment, and while the best case scenario is that we save Gaara and he pardons us, worst case scenario is anyone who joins me could die or be declared a rogue-nin."

"I don't care! We need to do something to save Gaara-sama!" Temari could tell that Matsuri and the others were adamant, and had made up their minds. "Ok, fine, let's go." The squad turned around and set off in the last known direction of the Akatsuki with all haste.

- _A Few Hours Later, The Akatsuki Hideout in the Land of Rivers-_

The Akatsuki's preferred method of extracting and sealing Bijuu , the Fuinjutsu technique known as "9 Phantom Dragons" was a long and tiring process requiring all of their members to be focused and provide as much chakra as possible for several days. Even with 9 S-Class Shinobi powering the technique it still took quite a long time to complete.

Along with the two Akatsuki who had abducted Gaara, Sasori and Deidara, there were 7 figures standing in the hideout. These were indistinguishable dark shapes. The process was well underway, but not complete, when one shape, with yellow eyes, spoke up. "It seems we will have company soon, Leader-sama."

Another dark figure, with two clearly viable Rinegan turned to look at the Akatsuki's top infiltrator, giving him an "are you sure" look. The first figure nodded confirmation. "It seems Sasori and Deidara were tracked, and there are shinobi approaching their position."

"They arrived much quicker than expected, disturbing" noted another dark shape. "Kisame and I will handle them." spoke yet another figure. The one with the Rinnegans turned to the last shape to speak, "That's fine, but I still need you to keep a sizable amount of your chakra focused on the sealing. "This should be fun" noted a large shape as it formed a quick hand seal.

- _10 Kilometers Away-_

"We're getting close" called Pakkun. He wasn't exactly sure of where the destination was, but he could tell that the scents he was tracking were getting stronger every minute, a sure sign they were closing in on their target. Team 7 had made good progress. Naruto had originally wanted to go faster, but he saw the sense in not going all out and preparing for what was expected to be a difficult fight. Chiyo, Kakashi, Sasuke, and he had a bit of rest in Suna, and a couple of breaks on the trail, but they certainly weren't well rested.

In front of them a flock of crows landed, and began forming a larger shape. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-senpai, Sasuke-chan, Naruto-kun, but I can allow you to go no further" came the voice of Itachi Uchiha. Immediately Team 7 came to a halt. Kakashi flipped up his headband revealing his sharingan while calling "don't look in his eyes."

Sasuke's sharingan were also active as he cried out "Itachi! This time you'll pay for what you did!" Itachi nodded at his sibling. "Hello again little brother, it seems you've gotten stronger than last time, but it also seems you didn't take my advice. Unless you embrace your hatred you won't be strong enough to defeat me." "And what reason would I have to listen to your advice Itachi? I'll find my own way to kill you!" came the response.

"Where's Gaara?" shouted Naruto. "The Kazekage has generously donated his life and his Bijuu to the cause of the Akatsuki, and is about six hours from having it fully extracted and meeting death. Tell me, Naruto-kun, would you like to donate your life as well?"

Naruto was enraged, and an orange chakra began to leak out of his body. _Great, now I'm going to have to defeat Itachi, make sure Sasuke doesn't go crazy, prevent the Kyuubi from taking control of Naruto, and save Gaara. Where the hell are my reinforcements?_ "Naruto, no!" shouted Kakashi. "It's ok sensei. Pervy Sage and I worked on this while we were gone. I can control it as long as I don't go past the 4th tail." came Naruto's response.

 _He's still in control?_ Thought a bewildered Sasuke. Sasuke was further impressed by Naruto's next action. The old, "dobe" Naruto would have charged forward right away without a second thought towards strategy. Instead Naruto stood there, glowing orange, with red eyes, fangs, claws, and a single tail, just waiting. _He's actually thinking for once?_

"It seems you got smarter while you were gone dobe." Sasuke's words earned a smile from Naruto. "Chiyo-sama, you've been pushing yourself very hard to keep up with us. Please rest and let us handle this." said Kakashi, and a clearly winded Chiyo sat down at the base of a tree, clearly thankful for the rest, but too stubborn to admit it.

 _-At The Same Time, Approaching the Same Location From the Opposite Direction-_

Team Gai had made good time to the Land of Rivers, where Kakashi, Pakkun, Naruto, Chiyo, and Sasuke had come into visual range of Neji's Byakugan, and the team adjusted their course to meet up with Team Kakashi. As they got to within 10 kilometers of their interception point the body of water near them suddenly acted up, and from the water a figure formed. "Well well, if it isn't Might Gai. I've been looking forward to our rematch" Kisame smiled as he hefted the legendary sword Samehada off of his shoulders.

Gai however seemed confused. "I'm sorry, have we fought before?" Kisame was clearly irked at the slight, but Tenten quickly filled her sensei in. "According to the Bingo Book he's the S-rank Kiri Missing-nin Kisame Hoshigaki. According to reports he and Itachi Uchiha infiltrated Konoha a little over three years ago." "Huh, I remember Itachi and that I fought with his companion, but I don't remember this fellow, how unyouthful of me!" came Gai's response, further infuriating Kisame. "It matters not, let us show him the power of our youth Gai-sensei!" called the only one of Gai's students to remain a chunin, Rock Lee.

 _-Itachi vs. Team 7-_

"The trick to defeating an Uchiha is quite simple" Chiyo had said when the fight began. "One of you must draw his attention while the others attack from behind. Also, make sure you immediately free anyone who gets caught in a genjutsu." 5 minutes into the fight this was proving easier said than done.

Kakashi, as the squad's leader and strongest member, had taken it upon himself to be the one to attempt to distract Itachi. He had been engaged in straight on battle with Itachi, borrowing a trick from Gai and looking at the Uchiha's feet to track his movements. Itachi had already proven that he could overpower Kakashi's sharingan once, and he had spent almost a month in the hospital because of it. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Their battle consisted largely of Taijustu, where the two seemed evenly matched. Occasionally the two would jump a part from each other and fire off the same ninjutsu, with one of them copying the other's hand signs. All through this Naruto and Sasuke had tried to catch Itachi off guard with attacks from the side or behind. Sasuke by launching a fireball or with a lightning infused sword strike.

Naruto meanwhile would have a rasengan in each hand, only needing one had to form them thanks to the training trip, and would try to catch Itachi with the second one if he dodged. Itachi had simply dodged Sasuke's strikes. For Naruto he used either the substitution technique, or his crow variant of the same technique, where right as the attack hit he dissolved into a flock of crows, only to reappear elsewhere on the battlefield.

"You're going to need to do better if you want to avenge our parents, Sasuke-chan." Called Itachi as he easily dodged Sasuke's Fireball, and while in midair used his kunai to block shuriken thrown by both Naruto and Kakashi.

Kakashi immediately rushed in to engage, wanting to prevent Sasuke from getting too worked up. Sasuke backed off, howling in frustration and rage. Naruto, who had calmed down considerably since the beginning of the fight, and was no longer in his chakra cloak in order to prevent Itachi from sensing him, crept towards his friend. "Sasuke, calm down. He's trying to manipulate us by bringing up your parents and Gaara. If we're angry we aren't thinking, and if we aren't thinking it just means he can kill us easier."

That got through, and Sasuke started to let go of his anger. "Hn. What do you suggest we do then, Naruto?" "I'm gonna sneak around to the other side. I'll give you a signal when I'm ready. After that once Kakashi-sensei creates an opening for us we'll attack at the same time from opposite directions. "Hn. That's not bad. It might actually work. Fine."

Naruto dispelled, revealing that it was only a shadow clone, and a few seconds later on the other side of the clearing Naruto stepped out of the bushes. In his right hand he formed the Rasengan, and signaled to Sasuke, who began using lightning chakra to prepare a Chidori.

Less than a minute later Kakashi created an opening and the two sprang into action. Kakashi, seeing this, threw a volley of Shuriken, hoping that Itachi would be two busy blocking to do anything about Naruto and Sasuke.

Itachi merely smiled, and allowed Rasengan, Chidoi, and the Shurkien all to hit him. "I must complement the three of you on your teamwork. With a bit more improvement you might be able to keep me entertained for a few minutes." Itachi's voice was much calmer than what one would have expected from someone in his situation. "It appears that the small amount of chakra I was allowed to use to stall you has been exhausted. Leader-sama will be disappointed that I failed to kill you, after all we aren't done with Gaara-kun yet." With that Itachi's likeness disappeared, and instead the dead body of a Suna Jonin appeared.

Chiyo was immediately shocked. "That man is a member of our council!" "And it appears he was a spy for the Akatsuki. They likely have high ranking spies throughout the elemental nations." said Kakshi, panting from exhaustion. "He said that was only a small amount of his chakra, but he really tired us out." observed Naruto.

"Hn." scoffed Sasuke. "True, but it sounds like he was supposed to kill us, and we learned that we still have a few hours to save Gaara. Good job you two. You've both grown so much since you were my adorable little genin." Kakshi sat down next to a tree and popped a Food Pill into his mouth. As he tossed similar pills to his companions he said "For now we're taking an hour to rest and replenish our Chakra, from their we will head on to their hideout. Hopefully reinforcements show up by then."

- _The Akatsuki Hideout_ -

"You were gone for 15 minutes, did it really take you that long to kill them? I guess I need to rethink preaching to you about Jashin-sama" quipped one of the indiscernible figures as Itachi and Kisame's consciousness returned to the sealing. "Actually, I didn't kill them, I underestimated them and my chakra ran out before I could kill them, I just wanted to have a little fun before I slaughtered" admitted Kisame, a little sheepishly. "I too failed, my apologies, Leader-sama, though it seem the 9 tails is with them."

The Rinnegan eyed figure seemed to think for a few moments before his deep voice spoke again. "You two are supposed to be our most reliable operatives, I'm disappointed. Hopefully the seal on the entrance will hold them for a few hours until we finish, but if not Sasori, Deidara, you should be prepared for company. "My man Sasori and I won't fail you, Leader-sama" spoke the tall blond Deidara. "I can't wait until they get here. I really want to show them my art."

 _\- Later, Outside the Akatsuki Hideout-_

Team Kakashi and Team Gai met outside the hideout and quickly exchanged intel, before turning their attention to the problem at hand, getting into the hideout. A massive boulder blocked the entrance, and some sort of seal was on the boulder. Naruto jumped up to the seal to get a better look at it.

"Naruto wait!" shouted Kakshi, thinking Naruto was going to try to pull the seal off. "Relax, sensei. I'm just getting a good look at it. Pervy Sage had me do a lot of training with Fuinjutsu since it's an Uzumaki speciality. It looks like a 5-pronged seal, I'm pretty sure I can can undo it."

"Gai-sensei, what is a 5 Pronged Seal?" Asked Lee as he took out a notebook, prepared to write down his idol's response. "A 5 Pronged Seal is a seal that has 5 prongs. All must be removed at the exact same time in order to undo it, unless of course Naruto-kun knows of some other youthful method." Gai answered and flashed his trademark grin.

Naruto jumped down from the boulder. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can disable it without us having to locate the other 4 tags." he said as he pulled out a storage scroll and unsealed a brush, a blank tag, and ink. "Just give me a couple of minutes to focus." Everyone waited quietly, taking the time to center themselves for the coming fight, as Naruto wrote on the tag. After each stroke he would pause, and carefully and deliberately plan his next one.

Finally, he was done. "Ok guys. I'm gonna have a clone put this tag on top of the one on the boulder. After that we need to wait 10 seconds. Then we can destroy the Boulder. Anyone got any paper bombs?" "Leave the boulder to me," said Tenten, making a fist." "I normally just use Kaa-san's super strength technique as an element of my Kenjutsu, but I think I can make an exception here."

Tenten walked back several meters to allow for a running start at the boulder, and then nodded to Naruto. He then made a clone and handed it the tag. The clone jumped up to the boulder and waited. "Ready" it called. Tenten echoed the clone "Ready."

Kakashi then took charge and gave orders "Alright everyone we don't know how many Akatsuki members are in there, but at least two. Team Kakashi will enter from the left and Gai from the right. Our order will be Myself, followed by Sasuke, and Chiyo. Gai, followed by Neji, and Lee. Naruto and Tenten will hang back near the entrance for now. Tenten will provide cover fire for our entry with her weapons, and Naruto will try to locate Gaara. Once you have a visual confirmation on Gaara you and Tenten will enter, retrieve him, and exit. Everyone else will cover your retreat."

Kakashi looked around, getting confirmation from everyone that they understood the plan. "Ok, do it Naruto!" The clone applied the Tag, and almost immediately it began to glow red. After ten seconds it turned white, signaling that it was done.

"Now, Tenten!" called Naruto. The youngest Senju charged forward and slammed a fist into the boulder. Cracks and fractures began to spread out all over the boulder from the point where she made contact, and within a few seconds it crumbled into rubble. Teams Kakashi and Gai plunged into the cave, while Naruto and Tenten stood just inside the entrance, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

When the boulder started to fracture the Akatsuki had jumped to action, and the 7 dark figures disappeared, they were simply projections. The big statue Gaara's Bijuu chakra was being sealed into began to disappear, and Gaara fell to the floor. Sasori and Deidara sprang to get in front of the barely living Kazekage, and then the boulder collapsed, blinding the two Akatsuki members with bright daylight.

A volley of shuriken were thrown into the cavern, hoping to take advantage of the bright light temporarily obscuring the Akatsuki shinobis' vision, however the Konoha forces eyes needed to adjust as well, and all the projectiles missed. 6 figures entered the cave, while another two moved into the entrance and their eyes adjusted quickly. "Well, if it isn't my grandson. You had time to visit Suna but not to visit me, Sasori?" chided Chiyo.

"It's been a long time, granny." came the gruff response. "Sasori of the Red Sand. S-Class missing-nin said to have been able to destroy an entire nation with one jutsu." Neji recited from the bingo book. "A Puppet Master, so expect everything he throws at you to be laced with poison."

"The other one appears to be the mad bomber of Iwa, Deidara. He uses explosive clay." Sasuke followed up with the intel on the other Akatsuki member. "So you know of my art do you?" Deidara responded. "It seems the 8 of you were able to defeat Itachi and Kisame relatively easily, granted with only a fraction of their chakra. We won't underestimate you like they did."

Deidara and Sasori released a volley of explosive clay spiders and poisoned senbon, forcing everyone to dodge. As they did so Naruto was able to spy Gaara behind the two Akatsuki members. "Tenten, he's behind them, cover me!" he called as he created a wave of shadow clones that rushed forward. _Naruto might actually be the best person to fight them. As long as he hides and spams clones he can fight them without having to worry about being poisoned or blown up._ Tenten realized as she unleashed a volley of Kunai.

"Rasengan barrage!" 21 Shadow Clones darted forward with a Rasengan in each hand, 10 targeting Sasori and 10 targeting Deidara, while the other clone made a beeline for Gaara. At the same time Chiyo had unsealed a puppet and was engaging Sasori, while Gai had rushed towards Deidara for a Taijutsu bout.

They managed to take out several of the clones, but between fighting their opponents, dodging the 20 Rasengan aimed at each of them, and dodging the Kunai and Shuriken thrown by everyone else Deidara and Sasori were unable to do anything about the last Naruto clone, which grabbed Gaara and ran out of the cave. "We have Gaara, fall back!" called Kakashi.

Sasori and Deidara chased them out of the cave and into the daylight. Naruto meanwhile, had made a 2nd Shadow Clone and had it use the henge jutsu to look like Gaara.

Real Naruto carrying fake Gaara, along with Kakashi, Chiyo, and Tenten fled in one direction. Fake Naruto carrying real Gaara, Gai, Neji, Lee, and Sasuke fled in a different direction. Sasori pursued the first group, while Deidara made a giant bird out of his clay before pursuing the second.

 _-With Deidara-_

Deidara chased his opponents down a canyon, raining a variety of small explosive sculptures down on them from his perch on the clay bird. Sasuke would occasionally fire a fireball jutsu back at him, but it was easily dodged. "It seems our opponent is a long range fighter, what a pity we are all short range or mid range." commented Neji.

He and Gai specialized in Taijutsu, and Lee used exclusivity Taijutsu. Sasuke was well rounded, though his Tobuketsu rank came from Genjutsu. Deidara however was familiar with Itachi, and on the lookout for genjutsu. Sasuke's ninjutsu repertoire was mostly mid or short range with the exception of some of the Uchiha fire jutsu, which again Deidara was familiar with. Unless they were able to get Deidara off his bird and onto the ground they were at a serious disadvantage.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Lee, go on ahead. Neji and I will buy you some time!" shouted Gai. "But Gai-sensei!" Lee tried to argue, but he was interrupted. "No buts, Lee. Neji and I both out rank the rest of you. Don't you worry, we will show out opponent our youth! Sasuke, you're in command. Make sure Naruto and Gaara make it back to Suna!" "Neji, Gai-sensei, be careful." called Naruto as he, Sasuke, and Lee continued on ahead while Neji and Gai ran up the walls of the canyon, trying to get within range of Deidara.

- _With Sasori_ -

"It can't be?! Lord Third!" cried out a shocked Chiyo when Sasori unveiled his latest puppet. Chiyo and Tenten had stayed behind to buy Naruto and Kakashi time to escape. Kakashi had tried to stay instead of Tenten, but Tenten had pointed out that Kakashi was a higher ranking, and thus more valuable, member of their clan. He was expected to help produce and raise the next Senju Clan Head after all, so he had begrudgingly accompanied Naruto.

 _Tenten is nothing if not absolutely dedicated to the Senju Clan, she never had a family before it. I must admit it's a family I enjoy being a part of as well. Shizune will be devastated if I don't bring her little sister home safe._ Thought Kakashi as he ran, concerned for his sister-in-law.

With the Third Kazekage Puppet Sasori clearly had the upper hand. The Iron sand technique had managed to grind all of Chiyo's puppets to a halt by jamming their gears and springs. Tenten took it upon herself to be the puppet, and as Chiyo navigated her through the maze of senbon Sasori threw at them Tenten charged her chakra. Chiyo pulled a string and Tenten's arms drew her Katana. As Chiyo directed her to strike the Kazekage puppet. she used her mother's super strength technique and cut the puppet in two, disabling it.

The battle then moved to the next phase, as Sasori used his actual body, which was itself a puppet. He was clearly frustrated at having lost so many of his puppets, and pulled out all of the stops for his next attack. A barage of poison gas bombs, and poisoned senbon, shuriken, and kunai, came out of various orifices in his body. Tenten was still in relatively close range, and there was absolutely no way for her to dodge. The attack was so quick that Chiyo too was unlikely to be able to dodge.

At the last possible second an Earth Wall erected itself in between Sasori and the two kunoichi, intercepting all of his attacks. "Looks like I got here just in time" remarked a Konoha ANBU, the same one that had left Konoha the evening after Team 7 had departed Konoha. "Who are you?" asked an intrigued Sasori. "You can call me Tenzo" came the response.

"Suiton: Water Dragon Jutsu" called Tenzo as he launched an attack. Sasori dodged, and another compartment on his body opened, revealing a sword. "Be careful ANBU-san, that's probably poisoned!" called Tenten.

As a puppeteer Sasori preferred long range fighting. Close range combat was the traditional enemy of puppet users, if someone got past the puppet the puppet using shinobi was essentially defenseless. However if almost two decades as a rogue ninja had taught Sasori anything it was that in order to survive one must turn there weaknesses into strengths. He was certainly not an expert with a sword, but he was good with it, and he was also deceptively fast. In a matter of milliseconds he was over the earth wall and his sword was plunged into the ANBU's body.

What happened next startled everyone. The ANBU's skin simply turned to wood, and a human shaped log fell to the ground. A wood clone. "Mokuton!?" cried Chiyo. "That's impossible!" shouted the only Senju present. _So one of the snake bastard's experiments survived after all_ noted the Akatsuki member. He had kept tabs on Orochimaru for a long time, in fact spying on a then still loyal to Konoha Orochimaru was one of the first things he had done as a rogue ninja, and his spy network had made him well aware of Orochimaru's wood style experimentation.

Their reactions were cut short as a number of large wooden branches shot out of the ground towards Sasori. As the puppet master was busy dodging a Konoha ANBU appeared next to Tenten and Chiyo. "I am Tenzo, Hokage-sama sent me to assist you." The two kunoichi just nodded, this wasn't the time to barrage him with questions about how he possessed the 1st Hokage's famous technique.

"Do you see the cylinder with the scorpion logo on it on my grandson's chest?" enquired Chiyo. When both her companions confirmed they did she continued. "That most likely contains the only remaining biological part of his body. I suspect that if we destroy that he will die."

At this point Sasori had finished dealing with the branches and vines, and addressed his opponents. "Indeed, the three of you are stronger than I expected. I won't keep you waiting any longer, let me show you the technique that destroyed an entire nation!"

Knowing what was coming Chiyo quickly pulled out her own scroll, and soon Sasori's red puppet army and Chiyo's white puppets were staring each other down from across the battlefield. "Senju-sama, you are a weapons specialist are you not?" whispered Tenzo to his fellow konoha nin.

Seeing her nod in confirmation he continued. "If Chiyo-sama and I are able to distract him would you be able to pierce that cylinder with a kunai?" For someone with her accuracy that would be child's play, so again she nodded. "Good, let's go with that plan then." Just as Tenzo finished speaking the red puppets charged.

It was an intense battle. The red puppets had the numerical advantage, but Chiyo's white puppets were putting up a good fight. Tenzo was also contributing, taking down puppets with ninjutsu.

Tenten occasionally used a kunai or shuriken to take down a puppet, giving the impression that she too was focused on taking down Sasori's army, but her main focus was on the Akatsuki puppeteer himself. She studied his motions, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Sasori couldn't help but smile. True he had lost roughly half of his forces, but his grandmother was down to her last couple puppets. After that it would be simple to simply poison his three opponents. Sure the Mokuton user and the weapons girl were good, but they couldn't hope to withstand his ultimate technique without Chiyo's own technique covering for them.

 _I can't wait to add the Mokuton user to my collection, he will make a nice replacement for the Third Kazekage. The Weapons girl would make a decent addition to my red puppet army as well_ he thought. He made a slight motion with his wrist, the motion he needed to make to have a puppet decapitate an enemy, in this case one of Chiyo's last remaining puppets.

 _There it is!_ Thought Tenten. She has noticed that when Sasori directed one of his puppets to behead an opponent he left himself slightly open. For most people it wasn't enough to act on, but with her unique skill set it was just enough. She channeled chakra, her adoptive mother's super-strength technique, and fired a kunai.

Due to the super-strength technique this kunai flew at speeds at least 3 times greater than the normal speed a jonin could throw a kunai at, and with pinpoint accuracy it buried itself into Sasori's organic core before his puppet had even finished its attack.

So much strength had been used to throw the kunai that rather than lodging itself into the cylinder in passed all the way through it, shredding what remained of Sasori's organic original form, killing the missing-nin instantly.

With the battle over Chiyo moved to pay her respects to her grandson. He may have been a criminal and she had to help kill him, but she still loved him, she was his grandmother after all. As she began seeing to the remains of her last descendent Tenten and Tenzo gave her some space.

Or rather, once they were out of chiyo's line of sight Tenten began attempting to get some answers from the ANBU about how he possessed a technique associated with her clan. Not that she had much success.

 _-With Deidara-_

Gai did not get frustrated often, but this was an exception. He and Neji were more than capable of leaping off of the canyon walls and getting close enough to Deidara's preferred cruising altitude to launch an attack, but the Akatsuki member would simply have his bird dodge or fly too high for them to reach.

They had succeeded in slowing Deidara down, allowing Naruto, Gaara, and their escorts to get far enough ahead that they could no longer see them, but beyond that the two taijutsu experts were ineffective against the Iwa missing-nin.

Deidara launched a number of explosive spiders at his opponents, but they were blown away by a sudden gust of wind. The combatants looked towards the origin of the gust to see a squad of 4 Suna shinobi, led by none other than the Kazekage's older sister, barreling towards them.

"Neji-san, correct? Where is Gaara?" enquired Temari as her squad fell in with the two Konoha jonin. "Naruto has him and is up ahead trying to get back to Suna. Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee are with them. Gai-sensei and I are trying to buy them some time."

Temari quickly turned to Matsuri and the rest of her squad. "I want the three of you to find Naruto and Gaara and help escort them back to Suna, I'll stay here and help stall for time." "Temari-sama..." Matsuri was clearly conflicted about leaving Temari "Go!" Temari yelled, and the three Suna nin headed off in to catch up to Naruto.

Temari then turned to her allies. "This is the one that attacked Suna and captured Gaara. I'm guessing you are already familiar with his explosions?" "Our opponent is a long range figher and both my youthful pupil and I specialize in taijutsu and close range combat, we are ineffective against him as long as he is on that bird" came Gai's response.

Temari thought for a moment. _If we can force him to the ground the Green Beast and the Hyuga would wipe the floor with him. How can we get him down?_ Suddenly it came to her.

"Gai-san, can you throw me above him?" "What?" "If you can throw me above him I can force him down with my fan. Assuming one of you can catch me on my way down." "Yosh!" cried Gai. "A most youthful plan Temari-san. I can certainly throw you above him. Once he is forced down I will engage him, my youthful student will catch you."

Deidara was preparing to bombard his opponents with yet more spiders when something strange occurred. The strange green clad man picked up the Suna girl and threw her into the air. He easily dodged her as she shot past him, he witnessed her open her fan all the way, with 5 purple dots showing, and grimaced.

A massive burst of wind hit him, and his bird was forced to descend downwards, it simply couldn't compete with the hurricane force winds. A second blast ripped the bird to shreds, and Deidara tumbled towards the ground.

He was able to use chakra to reduce the impact of his landing, but it still hurt. Almost immediately the strange man with the bad haircut, huge eyebrows, and ugly outfit was upon him. Deidara could immediately tell he didn't have the Taijutsu skills to beat his opponent, and tried to get some of his more powerful explosive clay ready.

As Neji caught Temari the two of them witnessed something strange. An odd man wearing an Akatsuki cloak and an orange mask appeared out of nowhere. "Deidara-senpai!" the man called out. "Sasori-senpai is dead and Leader-sama wants you to retreat for now, I'm here to get you out." Gai tried to kick the new opponent, but the strange man passed right threw his leg. The strange man then engaged Gai and distracted him while Deidara finished making a new bird.

Just as Neji and Temari were about to enter the fight Deidara flew off in the opposite direction of Suna at full speed, and the mysterious masked man simply disappeared without a trace.

- _A few days later, Suna-_

The Kazekage was finally awake and out of bed. When he opened the window in his hospital room he was met by the roar of a massive crowd that had gathered, holding vigil while their leader was unconscious.

Watching from the side of Gaara's room, Naruto couldn't help but smile. _Gaara, you've come so far. Your village has accepted and embraced you. You're Kazekage. I'm so happy for you, but I won't fall behind. Soon I'll be a clan head, and before you know it I'll be Hokage. I'll be accepted and embraced in Konoha just as you are in Suna, believe it!_

-End of Chapter-

* * *

So this condensed, abbreviated version of the arc ended up being pretty different from canon Kazekage Rescue. In part that is because of some changes (Sasuke's presence, Yamato's presence, Naruto, Tenten, and others being stronger than in they were at this point in canon, Kisame and Itachi weren't allowed to use as much chakra to fight since they weren't as far along in the sealing process.)

I wanted to do something like this to mix things up from looking at things in Konoha, but at the same point Action/Adventure isn't particularly the main focus of this story. If it were this chapter would have likely been spread out as I would have made much more detailed fight scenes.

However, with the focus of this story being less on action/adventure I didn't want to get away from the main plot for too long. All I wanted was a nice change of pace, and I hope that this chapter served that purpose well. Next time we'll see the Council debate wether or not to recognize Naruto as Clan Head. After all, the civilians aren't going to be as willing to bend the rules for Naruto as they were for Sasuke. If people like seeing stuff like this I'm certainly not opposed to mixing in the occasional action/adventure scene to mix things up.

Thanks for reading

-Col. Bogey


	8. Chapter 8

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

* * *

- _Foundation Headquarters, 2 Days after Team 7 Left for Suna-_

With Tsunade's reckless and dangerous decision to let the jinchuuriki out of the village, to pursue the Akatsuki no less, Danzo decided to take the opportunity to shift his agents that had been shadowing Naruto to Ino.

After all, if he couldn't get his hands on the jinchuuriki itself, then getting his hands on any future Uzumaki children would be the next best thing, so he would need information on the weapon's future bride as well.

The reports he had received over the past two days had been confusing. The girl focused quite a bit on training, and worked at the Yamanaka Flower Shop, these actions were expected, but it seems that she spent a lot of time in that old Uzumaki temple as well.

Danzo was well acquainted with the temple. After the deaths of Mito and Kushina Uzumaki it had been all but forgotten by most, and he had sent agents to explore it many times over the years.

All they could find were the masks, and after many unsuccessful attempts to find some purpose for them it seemed that they were purely decorative in nature, or if there was some other purpose for them it was one that seemed to elude Danzo.

 _Why is she spending so much time in a temple that seems purely decorative? Did we miss something?_ Was his reaction when he read the first report. He immediately gave instructions that his agents should follow her into the temple.

Then next day Ino had again trained in the morning before working at the flower shop in the early afternoon. Around mid afternoon his agents reported that she was making her way back to the Uzumaki compound, she was going to the temple!

Wanting to go unnoticed his agent had waited several minutes before following Ino into the temple, and by the time the Foundation kunoichi entered Ino was nowhere to be seen, confirming Danzo's suspicion that something was up.

He sent Hyuga agents to scan the temple with their Byakugan, but they were unable to find anything out of the ordinary, just confirm that the girl was no longer in the temple. This was a problem for Danzo, as he always treated things that he was not fully aware of as potential threats.

In his mind there were two main possibilities. Both of which could actually benefit him if he played his cards right.

The first was that there was some Uzumaki Fuinjutsu that sealed off part of the temple and blocked the Byakugan. If this was the case how did the girl know about it? And what was being hidden?

The other possibility he suspected was that either the girl or the weapon had come across some document where the 4th Hokage left the secrets of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The Hirashin no Jutsu, invented by Danzo's own sensei and idol Tobirama Senju, but then perfected by the 4th. It was a powerful teleportation jutsu that had made Minato Namikaze into the 'Yellow Flash.' Danzo blamed that technique for Minato being named 4th Hokage instead of him.

Either possibility appealed to Danzo. If it was some powerful Fuinjutsu that not even the Byakugan could see through it was something that could be useful.

He already had some techniques to hide the Foundation's facilities from the Byakugan, and also tried to maintain close relations with the Hyuga Clan so he could be on top of any accidental discoveries, but another trick to keep his organization hidden in the shadows, like true ninja, would always be welcome.

There was also the possibility that such a seal was being used to hide some great Uzumaki Secret. Even for well connected, powerful, and intelligent people who had been alive prior to the destruction of Uzu, such as Danzo, the Uzumaki Clan were somewhat of an enigma.

Many rumors swirled about powerful secret weapons that helped make such a small village so powerful. If something like that had survived the destruction of Uzu and was in Konoha it would be very useful.

Danzo's ultimate aim was the safety, security, and prosperity of the village, and having such a weapon would be welcome. While he would rather keep such a weapon within the Foundation he would still prefer such a weapon be under the control of the Will-Of-Fire loving Hokage than just sitting in a temple.

If the Hirahsin had been rediscovered that too would be welcome. There was no single technique that he coveted more than the Hirashin.

Danzo had long tried to get his hands on the formula for the jutsu, but to no avail. After the Senju compound was abandoned he had sent agents to try to find a scroll about the jutsu, and had also tried to find Minato's notes on the technique, but had been unsuccessful.

Of course the Hokage Guard Platoon knew a variant of it, having been personally taught the 4th, but they were uncooperative, and he couldn't simply kidnap and interrogate one of the Hokage's personal body guards, even by Danzo's somewhat nonexistent code of ethics that was still treason! Furthermore it wasn't something he felt the need to use Kotoamatsukami for, confident that he'd gain the secrets of the technique in time.

In short Danzo was suddenly very interested in the former Yamanaka heiress and future Uzumki matriarch. He had come to the conclusion that he would never be able to win Naruto himself as an ally, or directly control the weapon (unless of course he became Hokage), but now he came up with a new plan.

 _Maybe it's time I have a chat with the young future Uzumaki, after all I'm far more likely to win her as an ally than I am the weapon itself_ thought Danzo. _Perhaps, in time, I can even convince her to allow me to take her children for Root training._

The idea was simple. Offer to help and assist Ino, make her think that he was someone she could go to for help and advice, then wait.

One day, when she inevitably saw the weapon for what it was, her maternal instincts would kick in and she would want to protect her children from their monster father.

At that time he or his successor could simply waltz in, and she would be all to happy to let them take the children off for Root training if it meant keeping them away from the weapon.

If over the course of building a relationship with the girl he either stole or was entrusted with secrets of the Uzumaki Clan that was just icing on the cake. After all, what was the secrets of one clan, not even originally from Konoha, compared to the supremacy and strength of the village?

Danzo sat back in his chair and reached for his cup of tea. He would need to find a way to approach the girl that wasn't suspicious, but he would do so. He had to do so, he had to free the Uzumaki from the curse of the Will-Of-Fire, he had to free the whole village from that damn naive philosophy. If he didn't, Konoha was doomed.

- _The Uzumaki Estate,_ _The Next Day_ _-_

It was difficult for Ino to comprehend how much her life had changed over the course of just a few days. A week ago she had been moping around, had all but officially given up on a shinobi career, and was considered some what of a reject by her own clan. Then, Naruto had returned.

All it took was a couple of conversations with her fellow blonde, and a contract that included language essentially making her Naruto's property, not that he viewed her that way, and now she was training again. She had people willing to help and teach her. She was actually glad to see friends. She had a future again.

Her life hadn't done a complete 180, Sasuke and Sakura was still very much a point of pain and sorrow for her, but after three years of being stuck in a rut her life was finally moving in the right direction.

She was confident her new blonde best friend would eventually win her heart and make her forget all about the last loyal Uchiha.

Was she still depressed? Yes. Did part of her still want to revert back into what she had been for the last three years? Absolutely. But for the first time in years she had hope, hope that someday she might actually be happy again, and that alone was enough to motivate her.

Even in Naruto's absence she had kept up some semblance of a routine. Every morning she headed to the Uzumaki Estate, her future home, and spent a few hours working on chakra control and getting herself back into shinobi shape.

After lunch she spent a couple of hours working in the Flower Shop, and she spent the rest of the afternoon in the Uzumaki Library, reading up on her soon to be clan.

She poured herself into doing everything she could to help Naruto. Get back to being a shinobi, learn everything there is to know about the Uzumaki, get promoted, get married, eventually what ever charm Naruto seemed to have on people would hit her too right?

Just as she finished contemplating these thoughts and her own ambitions and emotions the timer she had set in the middle of her training ground rang. She had been running non stop around the training ground for a few hours. Considerable improvement, but even still, she estimated her stamina to only be at mid genin level.

Today was the first day of construction on the new Uzumaki Mansion, and the estate was full of people preparing to break ground. With so many people around Ino paid little attention to a figure hanging out near the training ground as she rested, until that person spoke to her.

"Hard at work training Yamanaka-san? Good, your clan's abilities are quite useful in the defense of our village, I'm glad your taking your duties seriously again" said Danzo as he casually made his way towards her.

He was actually fairly relaxed. Unlike with Sasuke and Sakura he was in no rush to make Ino into an ally, so no need to use kotoamatsukami. There was plenty of time to win her over before she gave birth to the weapon's children. Unlike Sasuke, where he felt the need to rush to ensure the boy's loyalty he was willing to play the long game with Ino.

At this point all he wanted was for her to have a positive impression of him, after that he could put the rest of his plan in motion.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you needed to talk to me, by your appearance I'm guessing your not part of the construction crew?" aksed Ino. "Indeed, my name is Danzo Shimura, and I'm one of the elders of the village. I thought I'd stop by and see how your are adjust to your new place in life."

Ino wasn't quite sure how to react. Sure the man seemed friendly enough, but with all the bandages he gave of a distinctly creepy appearance, and her father had always seemed leery of the village elders.

"Thank you for your concern, Danzo-sama. I'll admit I was opposed to the whole thing at first, but Naruto has a way of winning people over, and I'm actually looking forward to being an Uzumaki."

"Yes, I'd heard that Uzumaki-san has that effect on people." It took every ounce of Danzo's being to actually refer to the weapon by its name.

 _All it is is a weapon to serve the village. It's not human, why does it even need a name? Still, the last thing that I want to do is offend the girl and turn her against me. In time she'll come to see that thing for what it is._

"I'm pleased to hear you are looking forward to your role" he continued. "After all the Uzumaki bloodline could be very important to Konoha, and you will have a crucial place in the future of the clan."

"I'm aware of my responsibilities as stipulated in the contract between the Yamanaka and Uzumaki" came a terse response from Ino. She didn't particularly like the fact that that she was contractually obligated to bear Naruto's children.

If she and Naruto actually fell in love than it was one thing, but what if they didn't? Children in a loveless marriage? She wasn't sure she liked that idea, not that she had a choice in the matter.

Danzo nodded. _Good, she understands that her role here is just to birth children. If things go my way these two won't actually fall in love and she'll gladly hand the children over to me_ _in order to save them from the weapon_ _. Now I just need to get her to see me as a sympathetic figure._

"It seems you have a good head on your shoulders, Yamanaka-san, I'm glad to see the younger generation takes their roles seriously. I've trained a number of shinobi over the years, perhaps you'd like my assistance in achieving the rank of chunin?"

At this point Ino wasn't going to turn down help, regardless of how creepy the help seemed to be. "Thank You, Danzo-sama. I'll gladly accept your offer. Naruto's been helping me when he's around, and Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei have both offered to help as well, at this point I need all the help I can get."

Danzo nodded. "Smart girl. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a reclusive old man, so I hope you'll indulge me and keep the fact that I'll be training you as well secret."

Ino found that odd and strange, but wasn't really in a position to say no, and nodded her agreement.

Seeing Ino nod Danzo continued "For now how about we meet in the woods near the back of this estate every morning for two hours. When your betrothed returns we can always find another time if we need too. I'll bring one or two of my proteges with me as well." Ino smiled. "Sounds good, Danzo-sama. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, see you tomorrow Yamanaka-san" the elder turned and walked away. It wasn't until he returned to his office that he allowed himself to smile. _The first part of my plan to bring the Uzumaki Clan into the Root philosophy was successful._

"Send for Fu" he said to his assistant. "Tell him I'll have need of his assistance training one of his old clan members.

-Later that Day, Konoha Council Chambers _-_

No sooner had Tsunade finished reading her son-in-law's latest report on his team's progress in their mission then it was time to head to the council meeting.

This was a big meeting, she was going to try to get Naruto recognized as a Clan Head and convince the council to let him take the vacant Uzumaki seat despite the fact that he wasn't technically married yet, just as they had done for Sasuke.

The difference of course was that the civilians loved Sasuke, and were only too happy to bend the rules and say that being a chunin and engaged, as opposed to being a jonin or being a chunin and married, was enough for him. They wouldn't easily give Naruto, whom they hated, the same benefit.

Unfortunately her Sensei's gag order on Naruto's status and heritage meant that while most of the village was aware of his Jinchuuriki status, few people in Konoha knew who Naruto's parents were. Not even Naruto himself knew his father's identity.

The Civilian Guild Heads were generally unaware of Naruto's heritage. Like most of the village they knew him as an orphan and someone who held some Uzumaki blood, but as far as they were aware there was no direct relationship between Kushina and Naruto.

On the other side of the table all of the clan heads except Shizune, Asuma, and Sasuke had been friends with Minato and Kushina, and were aware of Naruto's family.

Shizune and Asuma were both the children of Hokages, and were fully aware of Naruto's lineage. Sasuke was unaware, but considered Naruto family. All were allies of his, at least in this matter.

As she walked to the council chambers she tried to analyze the situation. _All the clan heads except Sasuke are fully aware of Naruto's ancestry. I don't expect any problems there._

 _Sasuke views Naruto as a brother, and I have no doubt that if he were here he would be in favor of it as well, too bad I sent him on that mission... No, rescuing the Kazekage is more important._

 _The elders are aware of Naruto's mother and father, but I'm not sure how they'll vote. The civilians will oppose Naruto. Maybe one or two of them will vote in favor of it if they think they can make money off of him, but most will be against._

 _Still, worst case scenario with Sasuke gone that means I'm looking it coming down to the votes of the Elders._

As she sat down in her chair at the "head" of the U shaped table Tsunade confirmed that all the seats except the Uchiha seat were filled, and started the meeting. Almost immediately a civilian spoke up. "Hokage-sama, you can't start the meeting yet, we need to wait for Uchiha-sama!"

"Sasuke-san is on a mission at the moment, and given that for another six months he is the only member of his clan there is no one to take his seat for him, so the Uchiha Clan will be absent from this meeting. We still have more than enough for quorum, so we will proceed without him" she responded.

Danzo smirked. He was fully aware of the mission Sasuke was sent on, having been informed by both an Uchiha messenger hawk Sasuke had sent and by one of his root agents.

He and the other elders had been furious that not only a Jinchuuriki, but important members of clans had been sent to fight the Akatsuki.

The elders and Tsunade had already had their argument on the subject. It wasn't worth bringing the civilians into that fight. Danzo needed them as allies, but he didn't want them getting used to having a say in Shinobi affairs. Once he became Hokage they would have no say in anything, they were just his pawns.

Once the civilians finished grumbling about Sasuke's absence the meeting began in earnest. It was the first meeting since Asuma and Kurenai had announced that they were expecting, and the council offered their heartfelt congratulations to the Lord of the Sarutobi Clan.

Many of the compliments offered by civilians were mixed with hidden messages that they hoped the Senju Clan would be announcing an heir soon as well, something that didn't go unnoticed by Shizune.

In fact Shizune had found out just the day before that she too was pregnant, but she was waiting to make the announcement. Kakashi was on a mission, and as the father he deserved to know before everyone else. So for now she just ignored the passive aggressive council members.

The meeting proceeded like most council meetings. Reports on a variety of issues and topics. Treasury reserves, budget, employment numbers, and many other things that Tsunade knew were important, but the whole civilian part of these meetings was just so tedious for her.

Supposedly the whole reason for having civilians on the council in the first place was so that she could just focus on the shinobi aspects of the village without worrying about if civilian unemployment was actually 2.3 or 2.4 percent.

After the civilian reports came the shinobi reports. These were interesting, but unless there was a major shake up in a clan Tsunade was already aware of all of these aspects. Mission requests were up, academy enrollment was up, the Kiri Civil War seemed to be entering its final stages, all important, but all already known to the Hokage. Finally, after 2 and a half hours of reports and councilors talking in circles, it was time.

"All right everyone, we have one last thing to discuss today" Tsunade appeared calm, but internally she was a nervous wreck. "We finally have an opportunity to fill the last seat on this council" stated Tsunade. Many of the civilians looked confused, but most of the room was fully aware of what was happening.

"As many of you know despite his lack of any red hair Chunin Naruto Uzumaki is half Uzumaki. Upon his return from his training trip I recognized him as the Lord of the Uzumaki Clan. I'm well within my rights and powers as Hokage to do so. Now I'd like us to discuss letting him take his rightful seat on this council."

9 Outraged voices rose up. "We'll never let the demon sit on this prestigious council!" "Shame on you Hokage-sama!" Only one civilian didn't react negatively. Ichijoji didn't speak up because his guild was making a hefty profit of the construction of the Uzumki Mansion. Inoichi may have also slipped him a few extra ryo to not oppose Naruto taking his seat when the time came.

To be sure the construction guild boss hated the jinchuuriki, but he was a shrewd business man. As long as he was polite and his workers did good work there was a chance he could get more business from the Uzumaki Clan in the future, and money was more important to him than his hatred of "the demon".

After the other 9 civilians calmed down one of them finally calmly stated a reason against the action, other than that Naruto was a demon. "Hokage-sama, you said yourself that Uzumaki-san is a chunin, and he isn't married, so he can't sit on this council yet."

"You made the exception for Sasuke once he got engaged." Tsunade pointed out. "True, but unless you know something that we don't, Uzumaki-san is not." the civilian countered. At that point Inoichi passed out copies of his contract with Naruto and spoke.

"As you can see, there is a contract between the Uzumaki and the Yamanaka, and it includes my daughter Ino marrying Naruto, so in fact Uzumaki-san is engaged." the Yamanaka Clan head explained.

"How could you marry your own daughter to the Yondaime's murderer!" cried out a civilian. The room quickly silenced as nearly every shinobi in the room began leaking killing intent after hearing that comment.

The Clan Heads, and Hokage knew of Naruto's relationship to Minato, their shinobi attendants didn't, but they still knew that Naruto wasn't responsible for the Yondaime's death.

After taking a moment to compose himself and control his outrage, Inoichi spoke up. "First of all, Naruto-san is a clan head, and as a non shinobi you will give him the respect he deserves and refer to him as Uzumaki-sama. Second, despite what the contract may look like it is actually very advantageous to the Yamanaka. It does establish us as business partners with the Uzumaki, and Naruto is a walking trade agreement."

"What do you mean by that, Yamanaka-sama?" asked a curious civilian. "Naruto-san is considered a hero or personal friend of a ruler in several places. He is the Hero of the Land of Waves, they even named their bridge to the mainland after him. He is a close personal friend of the Kazekage, and he has several other close friends amongst the elite throughout the world."

The Guild bosses immediately saw Inoichi's train of thought.

"That means it will be easy for him to establish business relationships in those countries, and since you are already in a business relationship with the Uzumaki through the joint real estate company your contract establishes you expect to be able to parley that into preferential treatment in those other trade deals Uzumaki-sama will establish as well." concluded Sakura's father, putting just a little venom and sarcasm into the 'sama.'

"Exactly, Haruno-san" smiled Inoichi. "Another incentive for him to include the Yamanaka in such deals is that his wife will be Yamanaka. I think we all know the saying 'happy wife happy life.'" he joked. "Very shrewd Yamanaka-san" observed Danzo.

"Still though, we can't allow him on the council, he'll destroy us!" protested yet another civilian. "How exactly will he do that?" asked Choza. "He'll transform into his true form and destroy us!" yelled another civilian. "That is unlikely, why you ask? Because Naruto and the Kyuubi are two separate organisms. Uzumaki-san is merely the jailor that keeps the Kyuubi in check" retorted Shibi.

"You can't keep discriminating against the pup without pissing a good number of us off" threatened Tsume. "Every Clan here has a member who is a close friend of Uzumaki-san, and he's on friendly terms with just about every clan head. Keep that in mind next time you throw around the word 'Demon'" added Asuma.

The meeting quickly spiraled out of control as 9 civilians and 8 Clan Heads continued to yell at each other from across the table. All the while most of the others in the room looked on in horror, or amusement in Danzo's case, and Tsunade's anger level rose.

Finally, having had enough of the situation, the 5th reasserted her control of the meeting by picking up her tea cup and throwing it into the floor with all of her strength. The resulting sound from the shattering of the glass (and the partial destruction of the floor due to her insane strength) silenced the room.

Before she could begin chewing out the council, Danzo intervened. "Enough of this, you say you are Clan Heads, Ministers, and Guild Bosses, start acting like it. The Uzumaki bloodline is important for the defense of Konoha, and clearly Uzumaki-san is the only one who has a chance of passing it on to another generation. We have little choice but to allow him to take his rightful seat on this council."

"Indeed" spoke Koharu Utatane, one of the other elders. "If what Yamanaka-san says is true Konoha could anger several other nations if we deny Uzumaki-san his seat. While I don't particularly care about that I think we would all rather avoid anything that could lead to all out warfare."

"What my colleagues say is true" spoke the third elder, Homura Mitokado. "And in addition we need to keep our jinchuuriki loyal. With how much the civilian population, and some of the shinobi as well, have discriminated against him it is a miracle he hasn't tried to defect already. Doing this will go a long way towards keeping our ultimate weapon loyal to our authority."

"Keep in mind that Uchiha-san and his fiance are both teammates of Uzumaki-san and view him as a brother. Similarly his sensei is Senju-san's husband, and hokage-sama and Jiraya-san view him as a quasi-grandson, in addition to the good relations he enjoys with other clans and villages as already pointed out" continued Danzo. "It would be foolish to deny him his seat. Vote out of spite against him if you must, but know that with both the Clan Heads and the Elders supporting this you will lose."

The room was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. People that had been screaming at the top of their lungs just a few moments earlier where so shocked by what they heard that they were unable to speak.

Those opposed to Naruto's ascension were beside themselves. The elders had always taken the view that Naruto was nothing more than a weapon. Rather than be coddled or allowed to make friends they had always advocated for him to be trained to be a ruthless, emotionless killing machine. Now they were arguing for him to join the council that governed the village?

Naruto's supporters on the council were equally flummoxed. They too couldn't understand what had happened, and were immediately suspicious of Danzo and the other elders. They must be up to something! Still, Naruto's allies were in no position to turn down the elders' help, even if they didn't like it.

The room continued to be silent and motionless, as if time had stopped, for several moments until finally, it was the jonin commander who broke the silence.

"Troublesome. Motion to do the same thing for Uzumaki-san that we did for Uchiha-san. Make an exception and put him on the council despite the fact that he's not technically eligible yet." said Shikaku, though most were unsure if he wanted to stop debate as part of a strategy or because he simply didn't want to be stuck in the meeting anymore.

"All in favor?" asked Tsunade. The 8 Clan Heads in attendance all raised their hands. They were joined by Ichijoji on the civilian side, and all three elders. Tsunade was mentally over the moon with joy at the amount of support for her surrogate grandson. "All opposed?" The remaining 9 civilians raised their hands.

Tsunade beamed as she announced "By a vote of 12-9 the motion passes. When he returns from his mission chunin Naruto Uzumaki will be publicly announced as the Lord of the Uzumaki Clan and allowed to take his seat on this council as such. Just a reminder that all laws pertaining to keeping his past, and status remain in place. All we're doing is confirming that he is in fact Konoha's last Uzumaki, not announcing to the world who his parents are."

"Wait, we know who his parents are?" a civilian asked. "If we did know who his parents were, that information would be highly classified" came Tsunade's gleeful response.

A few minutes later Tsunade and Shikaku were debriefing in her office. Their post council meeting discussions had become habit over her three year reign as Hokage. On this particular occasion they were joined by Inoichi, Shizune, Choza, and Asuma.

"Given that there were no Senju in Konoha when the Uzumaki seat was created this will be the first time all 10 of Konoha's clans will sit on the council together, truly a momentous day" noted Choza. "Indeed, but we'll need to be very careful about this. I expect the village will react poorly to the announcement of Naruto being a clan head" Asuma noted.

Shizune spoke up "Yes, many businesses will probably refuse to sell to the Uzumaki Clan." "I don't think that will be too much of a problem. There are enough clan owned businesses that they should be able to find plenty of places to shop" Inoichi said, unconcerned.

"The Akimichi own several restaurants that would welcome him if he ever wants to mix things up and not just go to Ichiraku" Choza stated. "The Sarutobi owns one of the markets in town. We can always tell the vendors they have to sell to Naruto at normal prices or get out." Asuma added.

Shizune was next: "I think the Aburame own a couple of weapons shops, we could always check with Shibi-san." "I'm not sure if they are clan owned or civilian owned but I know of at least a couple of clothing stores that Ino has shopped at with Naruto present and they still were willing to sell" said Inoichi.

"It's troublesome that Naruto, and by extension Ino aren't welcome at many businesses, but I think we've determined that there are enough places that willingly or unwillingly will treat Naruto like a normal customer" Shikaku concluded, ending that part of the conversation.

"Shikaku, when are you starting that political discussion thing for the next generation that you mentioned? I don't want Naruto embarrassing himself on the council" enquired Tsunade.

"Assuming he's back I was thinking of starting next week after the clan heads meeting" Responded the Nara Clan Head. "I was thinking of getting Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Tenten, Kiba, and Shino. They're all high ranking members of clans that will need to know this stuff."

"What about Hinata, Hana Inuzuka, Sasuke, and Sakura?" came Shizune's question, after all two of the kunoichi she mentioned were her students, and they were in the same position as the people Shikaku had brought up.

"Hiashi told me the Hyuga already have their own political training, and Hana is a few years older than the rest of them and is getting mentored by her mother. Based on their performance in council meetings and clan head gatherings I think Sasuke and Sakura are already being instructed in Konoha politics. Though I'm not sure if they just found some old Uchiha scrolls or if someone is actively helping them, troublesome."

Eventually the debriefing ended and the assembled Clan Heads left the Hokage alone. Tsunade had plenty of reason to be pleased with how the day went. Naruto was to be officially recognized as a clan head after all, today was unquestionably a victory for her, it hadn't been perfect, but overall things had gone well.

Still, the fact that the Elders had supported him was unnerving, and Shikaku's point about Sasuke already having political instruction was also concerning. Not that she wanted the Uchiha Clan to be incompetent, but Sasuke had already proven to be a thorn in her side at many council meetings. If he was being mentored by Koharu, Homura, or kami forbid Danzo that would make it much more difficulty for her.

The next generation of clan heads was mostly on the side of the Will of Fire. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji were all firm believers.

Shino Aburame had reason to distrust Danzo given said elder's forcing of several Aburame into the Foundation.

Thanks to Tsunade's efforts Hyuga and Inuzuka both leaned towards the Will of Fire. With Hana as their head it seemed that the Inuzuka would continue to side with her.

Hanabi was a toss up, but Hinata wasn't technically out of the running to be Clan Head yet, and she was a firm believer in the Will of fire.

Tsunade had no doubt that the soon to be born Sarutobi heir and any future grandchild Shizune ever gave her would grow up firm believers in the Will of Fire as well since the Sarutobi and Senju were the two clans most associated with the philosophy. However if the Uchiha drifted towards Danzo's philosophy...that would make things difficult.

 _Perhaps I should get more involved in Sakura's training_ thought Tsunade as she poured a glass of Sake for herself. She then raised it in a silent toast _To you, Naruto, may you lead the Uzumaki Clan back to greatness._

 _-End of Chapter-_

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A couple of clarifications:

The Byakugan is unable to detect the subterranean level of the Uzumaki Temple due to Fuinjutus seals placed by Kushina and Mito.

Danzo summoned Fu Yamanaka, not Fu the jinchuuriki. I think that was pretty clear, but I thought I'd clarify just in case anyone was confused as to how Danzo got his hands on Chomei. He didn't.

Tsunade has trained Sakura on a semi-regular basis, but unlike canon Sakura's teacher has primarily been Shizune. Tsunade thinks about getting more involved in training Sakura for a similar reason as why Danzo offers to train Ino, to try to get to the Clan Head by winning over their future spouse.

On use of Root and Foundation: I'm aware that up until this chapter I've essentially used them interchangeably. As of this chapter, while the two terms will still be closely related to each other, there will be a distinction between the two. The Foundation will be the organization that Danzo controls, while Root will be Danzo's political and military philosophy, contrasted by and opposed to the philosophy of the Will of Fire.

People who know that Naruto is Kushina's son:

Naruto  
Ino  
Tsunade  
Jiraya  
Kakashi  
All Shinobi Clan Heads and their Spouses (except Sasuke and Sakura)  
All the elders

People who know that Naruto is Minato's son:

Essentially the same list, minus Ino and Naruto. Will this change eventually? Yes. But for now very few people know that Naruto is the 4th's son. Possibly more than in canon, but not many.

Naruto will not be announced as Kushina's son yet, publicly it will just be stated that he is the only one in the village (besides Tsunade) with Uzumaki blood so he was given the spot to try to revive the clan.

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Responses to some feedback left in Reviews/PMS:

Q: Don't you think you're Dehumanizing Danzo a bit much?

A: Not really. Danzo is in my opinion one of the best designed characters in the franchise. He has a one track mind and is willing to go to great lengths to achieve his goals, which are essentially the same as the heroes of the franchise, just with a very strong disagreement over the methodology.

Furthermore Danzo is designed to make you hate him. He's designed to make you see him as a sadistic and evil old bastard whose goals are noble, but who has been consumed by shadows making his plan to get to said goal despicable. I don't think I've changed him that much from canon. He's power hungry, and truly loves Konoha, and is willing to do anything to succeed in his plan to ensure the village's prosperity.

The things I've had him do are nothing compared to what he did in Canon: His role in the Uchiha Massacre, his role in Orochimaru's experimentation, his refusal to have Root/Foundation help defend Konoha in Konoha Crush, and etc. (All of which still applies in this story by the way)

Q: You do realize that there would still be an heir to the Sarutobi Clan if Asuma died childless right?

A: Yes and No. Someone else would take over, yes, but it wouldn't be from the same line. There is a difference between people who are part of the main family/branch and the Clan Head's designated heir, usually a direct descendent. It's like if a Medieval King died without a child. Sure some other family member would take the throne, but it's not gonna be as clean of a succession and ascension as if the previous king just had a kid. If memory serves correctly there were several conflicts throughout human history simply because a ruler died without a designated heir.

Q: Will Ino learn Naruto's techniques? (another reviewer specifically asked about her learning Hirashin)

A: It depends on the direction that this story goes. I don't really want to get into spoilers, but there are two different directions I'm considering taking this story. In one of them Ino will learn things like the Rasengan, and in one she won't.

Specifically in regards to Hirashin: In one of the aforementioned directions it is possible, but in the other there is no way. Either way she'll get some Fuinjutsu training and get better with Elemental Jutsu. She'll also still have the Yamanaka Techniques, though she won't be allowed to pass those on to her kids because said kids will be Uzumaki, not Yamanaka.

When I say 'some' Fuinjutsu training I mean eventually she'll be somewhere around Jiraya's level of Fuinjutsu skill. Not right away, but she will have access to not only everything Jiraya used to learn Fuinjutsu, but also some Uzumaki documents, so of course she'll be very good at it.

Q: Will Naruto still have things like Sage Mode, Kyubbi Chakra Mode, and SoSP Mode?

A: Sage Mode: Yes. Everything Else: I'm hesitant to say yes or no because as I'm brainstorming for this story things like that are not what I'm focusing on. So I guess TBD.

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Have you had a Beta Reader for your story before? Has it been a positive or negative thing for you? I'm slightly interested in getting one, but before I make a decision or not I'd like to hear from people who have used them before. What purpose did they serve for you? How did you go about finding one? Was it beneficial? etc. Thanks!

Until next time, thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


	9. Chapter 9

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

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- _Several Days Later-_

The Konoha shinobi had stayed in Suna for a couple of days to provide extra security for the village while Gaara recovered.

As a jinchuuriki, that didn't take very long, and a little over a week after setting out from Konoha Teams Gai and Kakashi, along with Tenzo, found themselves back in the leaf village.

They immediately made their way to the Hokage's office to report. Tsunade was pleased with the results of their mission, and before dismissing them gave them a few tidbits of information.

"Alright, before you go I need to remind you that I need written reports from all of you on my desk within 24 Hours. Also, congratulations Naruto, the council voted to give you the Uzumaki Council Seat. You're expected at the Clan Heads meeting tomorrow."

Naruto grinned and received congratulations from the other shinobi in the room before they were dismissed by Tsunade.

Tenzo, Sakura, Sasuke, Tenten, Neji, and Naruto all headed off to their homes to drop off their mission gear and/or check in with loved ones.

Gai and Lee went off spouting about how they were going to do something "Youthful." Everyone seemed relieved to have escaped being roped in.

Kakashi tried to sneak away, but found that Tenten had an iron grip on his shoulder, forcing him to stay as the rest filed out of the room.

Tsunade noticed that her fellow Senju had stuck around. "Something more, Tenten, Kakashi?" "Hai, Kaa-san, we need to talk about Tenzo and how he has your grandfather's techniques!"

Tenten practically screamed at her adoptive mother, "It's a Senju Clan issue, wood style is associated with us, who the hell is that guy? Is he a Senju?"

Tsunade couldn't help but smile. _Sometimes I forget just how dedicated to the Clan Tenten has become, now that she actually has a family she'll do just about anything for it, and_ _she_ _is always looking after the Senju's best interests._

"Tenzo is an ANBU, one of my best, actually he served under your brother-in-law back when he was an ANBU captain. No, he's not a Senju, and the reasons he has the wood style are highly classified."

"Tenzo isn't his actual name, he doesn't even know what his real name is" added Kakashi, after all he was one of the people who knew Tenzo best.

Hearing that Tenzo had no family, or even a real name, immediately made Tenten, a former orphan herself who never knew her biological parents, incredibly sympathetic to the man, and she put forth an idea that she'd had in the back of her mind since she saw the Mokuton: "We should make him a Senju."

Tsunade immediately recoiled, "I'm not adopting any more people, and he's a decade older than you, I won't allow you to marry him."

Tenten shook her head violently, as if trying to purge the thought of her marrying the ANBU from her head.

"That's not what I mean, Kaa-san. I wasn't saying you should adopt him or that I should marry him, I was saying we should give him membership in the clan, think about it for a sec."

Kakashi pretty quickly picked up on Tenten's thought process. "Having Mokuton back in the clan would be a huge propaganda coup for both the clan and the village."

The Hokage's youngest adopted daughter nodded, "Not only that, but just because Hashirama-sama's genes didn't pass on the Mokuton doesn't mean that Tenzo-san's won't."

"Well given the way he acquired Wood Style I doubt that, but you never know I suppose" answered the Hokage. "Why are you bringing this up with me though? Your older sister is the Clan Head, not me."

"Yeah, but we all know that Nee-sama views you as the rightful head of the clan and goes along with whatever you want."

Kakashi couldn't help but nod in agreement with Tenten's blunt assessment of his wife. "I've gotta say Tenten, I'm impressed with your idea, even if Lady Tsunade doesn't go along with it you've convinced me, and I'll talk to Shizune about it."

Tsunade nodded in agreement "No, she's right, I agree. We'll bring this up to Shizune at the next Clan meeting. Now get going you too, as much as I enjoy spending time with family I have a lot of work to do."

Tenten had a huge grin on her face as she dragged Kakashi out of the office and towards the Senju Clan Compound. Tsunade could only smile as she watched them go from the window _The future of the Clan is in good hands with people like you._

 _-Naruto's Apartment-_

After dropping off his stuff and eating a quick lunch of instant ramen, Naruto decided he was going to try to find Ino in order to check in with her and let her know he was back. First he headed to the Uzumaki Compound.

There he stopped for just a brief minute to marvel at the construction that had happened while he was gone. It wasn't much, the foundation was still being worked on, but it was something. His mother's dream was finally starting to come to fruition.

He checked the private Uzumaki Training field, she wasn't there. He checked the Temple, she wasn't there either. He left a couple of Shadow Clones at the temple to pick up where he had left off in the Uzumaki Library, and continued his search.

He headed to Yamanaka Flowers, Ino wasn't there, but he had a nice, if brief, conversation with his future mother-in-law.

The two had spoken at Asuma and Kurenai's gathering prior to his mission to Suna, but other than that barely knew each other.

They got along splendidly though, and Naruto eagerly looked forward to the day where he would actually have family, even if they were just in-laws.

He checked the Yamanaka Compound, still no Ino, though her father was there. It turned out Inoichi had some business with Naruto, and Naruto's search was further delayed as the two headed into Konoha's business district and stopped at the property management company that the Uzumaki-Yamanaka contract had established.

There Naruto was introduced to the company's manager, Naruto and Inoichi were both essentially the woman's bosses, and she gave Naruto an overview of the company.

An hour later Naruto and his future father-in-law and business partner were back on the street heading back towards the Clan district, and the young Lord of the Uzumaki brought up something that had been bothering him most of the afternoon.

"Hey, Inoichi-san, why are some of the civilians being so nice to me? The construction crews at the estate, the people at that company, does the village no longer hate me now that I'm a Clan Head?"

Inoichi shook his head "I wish that were true, Naruto. No, much of the village still hates you, I'm sure you've noticed the glares as we've been walking, though I understand that's normal, so maybe you're tuning them out." Naruto nodded, so Inoichi continued.

"To be honest I wouldn't be surprised of some of your employees or the construction crews hated you, but they're smart. They are willing to overlook the fact that they think you are a demon because of the money. The employees at the company don't want to be fired, and the construction worker's are all from Ichijoji-san's guild."

"Does Ichijoji-san not hate me?"

"He does, but he's smart. He sees an empty Clan Estate, and your mother's plans for that estate and he sees a massive profit. He's a businessman first and foremost. He won't let his hatred, or his employees' hatred, get in the way of money. He knows as long as his guild does good work and treats you fairly he can expect to get contracts for other buildings on your estate."

As the two reached the Yamanaka compound they turned to face each other.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the Clan Head meeting Naruto, in the mean time I suggest you check either the Nara or the Akimichi compounds for my daughter. I heard both Shikamaru and Choji had the day off today, and as you know they are like brothers to Ino."

"I'll do that Inoichi-san, and thank you, for everything."

- _The Senju Compound, The Clan Head's Mansion_ -

It wasn't until they got to the compound that Tenten finally released her brother-in-law from her death grip and made her way into the home that she and her mother shared, while Kakashi made his way into the Clan Head's mansion that he shared with his wife.

As the door closed, he pulled down his mask, one of Shizune's first rules was no masks when the two of them were alone in the house. Kakashi still shuddered thinking about how she enforced the rule.

"Shizune, are you here? I'm home!" "Oh! Kakashi-kun! You're back!" came the response from the kitchen, it seemed Shizune had the day off from the hospital.

After an embrace and a quick kiss the two started to catch up, with Kakashi telling her about the mission, and Shizune catching him up on all the latest gossip amongst the jonin and amongst the clans, as well as a recap of how the last council meeting went.

Finally, Shizune nervously changed the subject. "Kakashi-kun...I have something important to tell you."

"Of course Shizune, what's up?" asked Kakashi, he could tell she was anxious about something, and was concerned.

She stuttered at first, but couldn't help but beamed when she finally managed to get the words out "Well...umm...I, I, I'm pregnant."

- _The Nara Compound,_ _beneath the shade of a large tree-_

Ino was not normally one to participate in Shikamaru's favorite past time of sitting back and watching the clouds, but Shikamaru and Choji were like the brothers that she never had, they had grown up together and been teammates on Team 10.

Since both of her 'brothers' became Chunin it was difficult for the three of them to spend time together like they used to, so when they both had the day off Ino gladly took an afternoon away from the Uzumaki library to spend time with them.

They had met up at their old meeting place, Yakiniku Q, before heading off to the Nara compound, and eventually ended up on the edge of the Nara Clan Forest, silently watching the clouds drift by.

For Ino it was yet another chance to reflect on her young life, and think on where it was heading.

Naruto had been gone for a little over a week, and Ino had to admit that she missed him. The two had grown to be good friends in the few days between their betrothal and Naruto having to head out on his mission, and she was looking forward to his return.

Now, in the serene surroundings of the Nara compound, her thoughts drifted back her betrothed.

 _The baka really does have a way with people, I can't believe he's actually an official Clan Head now. I thought the civilians were going to riot the other day when Tsunade-sama announced it._

 _He's kind, caring, there's just something about him that screams dependability and loyalty, and it doesn't hurt that puberty and a little maturity changed him from a shrimp to a hunk._

She'd pushed herself hard the past week and a half. Danzo and Kurenai were tough trainers, but her goal was clear, she wouldn't let Naruto down.

She had come to a realization: the spark was there, she was definitely attracted to Naruto. In her heart Sasuke was still the favorite, but of all the guys her age in the village Naruto was easily the second best catch.

She really hoped the two of them would go on some dates when he got back, she wanted to get to know him better.

She also figured that if the two of them spent a lot of time together it would help them get past the pink and black haired obstacles that stood in the way of their future together.

 _It already seems like we've been betrothed to each other for ever, but it's only been a little over two weeks. I've been pushing myself so hard since then, and everyone has been really supportive, especially Naruto._

 _He, Tsunade-sama, Dad, Mom, Danzo-sama, Asuma-sensei, and Kurenai-sensei have all gone out of their way to help me these past couple of weeks, I won't let them down!_

Just as she finished strengthening her resolve the youngest Ino-Shika-Cho trio heard a voice call out. "Hey, Ino-chan! Shikamaru! Choji! What's up?"

The trio turned to see who called him, and all had different reactions. "Troublesome, he's gonna interrupt my cloud watching time" stated the lazy Nara.

Choji simply waved at the figure running toward them, but Ino couldn't help but grin as she stood up to greet her fiance.

"Welcome back, Naruto" "Uh, thanks Ino, good to be back." Naruto was confused, why was Ino hugging him?

He wasn't used to having beautiful women wrap their arms around him, and he was glad neither Jiraya or Kakashi was nearby, they would never let him hear the end of it.

He wasn't quite sure what to think. Was it just a friendly hug? Was she pretending that the two of them were closer than they actually were while they were around other people? Had she started to think of him romantically?

He was quite confused, but he couldn't deny that he wasn't opposed to wrapping his own arms around her. His heart still belonged to Sakura, but he had to admit that Ino was both gorgeous and fun to hang out with.

After a brief embrace the two sat down in between Shikamaru and Choji and lay back to join in the cloud watching. Naruto regaled the trio with the events of his most recent mission, occasionally being interrupted by his companions.

Shikamaru to complain about how troublesome the mission was, Choji to voice concern, and Ino to berate him for putting himself in danger.

Eventually the sun began to set over Konoha, and the four friends started to go their separate ways.

Naruto and Ino headed off together, since the Yamanaka compound was in the same direction as Naruto's apartment.

Again Naruto was confused by Ino's actions, this time she had linked arms with him, causing many people to stare as they walked through the streets of Konoha.

"Hey, Ino-chan, do you have dinner plans?" "Nope, why Naruto?" "Well, I thought maybe we could eat together and talk about a couple things."

"Naruto Uzumaki, are you telling me that after two and a half weeks of being betrothed to each other you are finally asking me out on a date?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, and had a sheepish look on his face as he answered. "Well, when you put it that way, yes." Ino grinned at him "sure"

As she spoke the pair reached the Yamanaka Compound. Naruto's smile beamed back at her, after being rejected by Sakura so many times it was nice to actually have someone say yes to him, even if that person wasn't actually Sakura. "I'll be back in an hour to pick you up, ok?"

- _Meanwhile, At The Senju Compound-_

Tenten was surprised to find that Shizune had invited her and Tsunade to dinner at the Clan Head's mansion that night. _Kakashi_ _-nii_ _works_ quickly, she thought.

Tsunade however didn't seem particularly surprised as they made the short walk from the house they shared to the mansion next door where Shizune and Kakashi lived.

Dinner was a mostly quiet affair, with some small talk taking place off and on. It was somewhat awkward, and much quieter than a dinner between the four of them normally was.

Though three of them were still relatively knew to being Senju the four of them had developed a close bond as a clan, a culture they hoped would be passed on to later generations.

As the meal wound down Shizune finally spoke up. "I've been itching to say this for a week now, but I wanted to wait until Kakashi-kun and Tenten-chan returned from their mission. The next generation of Senju is on its way, I'm pregnant."

Tenten, having expected the dinner meeting to be about Tenzo, was caught totally off guard, and when her brain finally processed the information she squealed with delight at the thought of being an aunt. In a matter of milliseconds she had flung herself across the table to embrace her sister.

"I must say I expected somewhat of a similar reaction from you as well, Tsunade-sama. You've made no secret of the fact that you want grandkids." said a slightly perplexed Kakashi to his mother-in-law, who was surprisingly calm and collected.

"Oh please, don't forget I've seen Shizune every day for many years now, I know how to read her. As soon as I saw her facial expression when one of the civilians tried to subtly imply that she needed to get pregnant at the last council meeting I knew."

"Really? I had only just found out at that point." Shizune was impressed, but a little preoccupied trying to peel Tenten off of her.

After watching his wife's failed attempts at escaping his sister-in-law's vice-like embrace for several minutes, Kakashi finally decided to help her out. "Hey Tenten, wasn't there something else you wanted to talk to Shizune about?"

That did the trick, and Tenten finally went back to her place at the table while Shizune looked on with a curious expression, wondering what it was. "You know the ANBU who has Mokuton?" Tenten asked.

"You mean Tenzo-san?" Before becoming the director of Konoha's hospital Shizune had served as Tsunade's assistant for a couple years, and was well aware of the person in question.

Tenten nodded and continued "I think we should make him a member of the Clan."

"I agree" Kakashi chimed in. "He has a pretty complicated past, would he even want it?" Shizune asked.

Tenten frowned, "What happened in his past, all I know is that almost everything about him is classified."

"*Sigh* Given that Mokuton is technically Senju Clan business I guess I can give you the short version." grumbled Tsunade.

"Orochimaru, possibly with Danzo's backing, though there is no definitive evidence, performed an experiment where he injected my grandfather's DNA into 60 children he had kidnapped. Tenzo was the only survivor, and it's how he came to possess the wood style. When Orochimaru went rogue Danzo put Tenzo into the Foundation, where Kakashi found him and Sarutobi-sensei 'rescued' him and brought him into the regular ANBU, where he has been ever since."

Tenten was stunned into silence at the revelation of the man's background, so Tsunade spoke directly to Shizune.

"Even though we can't publicly reveal that he has Mokuton, ANBU identities have to be secret after all, I think it's a good idea. He's a good man and he could use a family. There is also the possibility, however unlikely, that Orochimaru's experiments somehow made it so that Tenzo could pass on Mokuton to any future children."

Tenten and Kakashi both nodded, once again confirming that they were in favor of the idea.

Seeing the rest of her clan backing the idea Shizune smiled "Well I guess the decision's already made then. Kakashi-kun since you're essentially his best friend I think you should be the one to extend the offer to him."

The rest of the evening was much more jovial, as the Senju Clan discussed their two future members and Shizune made plans to have another house constructed on the Senju Clan compound.

 _-With Naruto and Ino-_

The future Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki sat across from each other in a booth at one of the fancier Akimichi owned restaurants, amicably chatting as they waited for their food.

Again on the way to the restaurant Ino had displayed affection by having their arms linked as they walked. Naruto was still confused by her actions, and decided to get to the bottom of it.

"Ino, why have you been so affectionate with me today? Did you really miss me that much." "You baka" came the response, but Ino did have a slight blush at his words.

"Sure I missed you, but you know I don't really think of you like that, not yet at least. I admit you are growing on me, but this all for public perception. I'm sure Tsunade-sama told you that you were publicly declared the Lord of the Uzumaki and our betrothal was announced?"

Seeing his nod she continued. "It would be scandalous for people to learn that the Lord and future Lady of the Uzumaki secretly lusted after their counterparts in the Uchiha, so it's important that in public we at least appear to be a normal couple. Besides, are you telling me you don't like my affection?"

Now it was Naruto's turn to blush, but he was spared from the embarrassment from the arrival of their food.

"That's going to take some getting used to" remarked Naruto after their waiter walked away, having addressed him, though somewhat begrudgingly, as 'Uzumaki-sama.'

"I'm sure you'll get used to it, Naruto-sama" replied Ino, saying '-sama' in a light, slightly mocking tone.

"I know you're just joking, but please never call me that again Ino, I thought I told you I want a partner and teammate, not a submissive housewife." "I know, and I'm thankful for that, I was just messing with you, Naruto."

"Good, By the way, I'm gonna go talk to baa-chan about the fact that she's part Uzumaki tomorrow, do you want to come along?" "She and I already talked about that already" replied Ino.

Naruto gave a look that said "and?" so she elaborated "She doesn't know that much, just some stories her grandmother told her, and she has some pretty good stories about your mom."

She smiled, recalling some of those stories, _I think I would have really gotten along well with Kushina_ _-sama_ she thought.

They continued to converse, and by the time that the bill was paid and it was time to head home both of them had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

As Naruto walked Ino back to the Yamanaka compound, again with linked arms, they discussed their plans for the next day.

They agreed to resume their morning training regimen, though Naruto would have to cut his participation short since he needed to talk to Tsunade before the Clan Head meeting.

After that they were going to meet for lunch at Ichiraku, and then Ino had something she wanted to show Naruto at the Uzumaki Library.

By the time they reached their destination the plan was set, and the two said their goodbyes. The evening had been an enjoyable first date, and both reflected on it as they went their separate ways, Ino into her house and Naruto out of the Clan district and to his apartment.

There was no denying there was a spark of something. There was some emotional connection between them, it was overshadowed by their unrequited loves but it was there, and they both knew it.

Acknowledging the spark reinforced the thought that they would be ok, that this would all somehow work out, and they went to bed that night with smiles on their faces, eager to see what the future held for them.

Before she went to bed Ino set her alarm clock for an hour earlier than normal. She had an additional idea for tomorrow, and she needed to be up early for it.

- _The Next Morning-_

Naruto awoke to the smell of freshly brewed tea and the sound of breakfast cooking. Confused as to what was going on, he stumbled out of his bedroom to find his future wife in his apartment, cooking breakfast. "Ino, what are you doing here?"

She turned around to answer him, but was quickly overwhelmed when she saw him standing in front of her in only his underwear.

She was a bit of a perv, but normally was pretty good at keeping that under wraps, except for back in the day when all the girls at the academy would gawk at Sasuke.

Naruto in so little clothing was a bit of a sensory overload for her, and her face turned bright red as she stood and ogled his body at him.

Naruto, though nowhere near as perverted as his master or his sensei, did have a bit of a 'corrupted' mind having spent 3 years in the company of a self proclaimed 'super pervert,' and quickly reached for a shirt once he realized what was going on.

Ino stuttered at first, not quite fully recovered from seeing Naruto's well defined chest, but was able to get out a coherent answer "I-I thought I'd come over and make you breakfast as a little celebration before your first official meeting as a Clan Head, and you gave me a spare key before you left on your last mission."

"Oh, well that was nice of you, thanks Ino-chan" came the response from a grateful Naruto, who joined her in the kitchen to help with the preparations.

He decided not to tease her about her reaction to seeing him in such a state of undress. They were early enough in their relationship that he wasn't totally sure how well that would go over with her.

After a hearty breakfast the two headed to the Uzumaki compound to work on physical conditioning. When Naruto had to leave Fu appeared and worked with Ino in the Yamanaka Clan techniques. Danzo would have shown up as well, but was unavailable due to the Elders' meeting.

- _The Clan Head's Meeting_ _-_

There had been quite a bit of pomp and circumstance about the fact that for the first time ever the heads of all 10 of Konoha's clans were gathered together, but there hadn't been all that much to talk about.

To Naruto it seemed that the meeting was almost more ceremonial than substantive, though the substance was definitely challenging for him.

The other 9 Clan Heads had welcomed him with open arms, Sasuke even going so far as to give his pseudo-brother a congratulatory 'hug' or at least as close to a hug as the broody Uchiha could give. Sure he had mellowed out some since his engagement to Sakura, but he was still angsty.

Shizune had notified the other Clan Heads that she was pregnant with the future head of the Senju Clan, and that had prompted a great deal of celebration.

Two pregnancy announcements amongst the Clan Heads in such a short period of time was truly a cause for celebration.

Beyond that Naruto had been a bit overwhelmed at his first meeting. It was a lot of numbers. Jiraya had done some teaching to help Naruto in these situations, and he was no longer an idiot, but clearly he still had more to learn.

Number of active shinobi, broken down by main force or ANBU, and then again by rank for the main force.

Number of active missions broken down by rank.

Number of active shinobi in each clan, new entries in the Bingo Books of various villages, reviewing the proposed Genin teams of the newly graduated academy students, Naruto hadn't expected the information overload, still, he made it through.

After being assured by everyone that he did fine, and that the information was overwhelming to everyone for their first couple of meetings Naruto relaxed a bit.

After the meeting a thoroughly confused Naruto headed to Ichiraku, where Ino was formally introduced to Ayame and Teuchi as his betrothed, and the Uzumaki and soon-to-be Uzumaki were treated to a free meal in celebration of the re-establishment of the clan.

- _The Uzumaki Temple's Secret Library-_

Naruto sat down on a couch, eager to see what Ino had in store for him. "So Ino-chan, what's this all about?"

Ino meanwhile had pulled four thick books from a shelf, and was bringing them over to a table.

"I've been spending a lot of time here. After all if I'm going to become the Uzumaki matriarch I figure I should learn a few things about the clan. While searching through the library I found this four volume series that you might enjoy."

Naruto took the first of the large and heavy books from her and looked at the title. ' _Uzumaki Clan Taijutsu and Kenjutsu styles, Volume 1_.'

Needless to say, the title had him intrigued. _"_ Clan Taijutsu and Kenjutsu styles? Good find Ino!" He opened the book up to look at the table of contents.

The first two chapters seemed to be general descriptions of the styles. After that each chapter was a detailed description of one of the basic katas of the taijutsu or kenjutsu styles.

After giving the introductory pages a brief glance Naruto looked over to his fellow blond with an obviously excited expression on his face.

"Have you started learning these yet?" he asked. She shook her head in response. "No, I thought I'd wait for you, after all you're the Uzumaki, not me, well not yet at least."

Naruto frowned. "I don't care if you aren't an Uzumaki yet, I think you should at least the Taijutsu style. Between the Academy style, the Yamanaka/Nara Style, and the Uzumaki Style you'd have plenty of options to choose from in an actual fight."

"Yeah I know, I want to learn it. I was just hoping we could learn this together, as a bonding thing. I figure if we are ever going to grow close to each other we'll need to spend a lot of time with each other, and this is a good excuse to do that."

Naruto hadn't bought Ino's initial excuse about not being an Uzumaki, but his frown and annoyance at her excuse softened when he heard the actual reason she hadn't already started learning Uzumaki Taijutsu.

"I'd like that, I think that's a great idea. Thank you for waiting for me, Ino-chan."

As he spoke he grew more and more excited. Not only was this an opportunity to get stronger and forge a connection to his clan, but it was also an opportunity to continue to help Ino resurrect her Shinobi career and would allow for some much needed bonding time with his future wife.

With a look of both joy and determination he loudly declared "So what are we waiting for? let's get started!"

When Naruto had been that loud and rambunctious in the past it had largely been a mask to hide his emotional pain from others, but as Naruto grabbed the book and headed to one of the large, empty rooms in the temple above there was no mask, this was genuine enthusiasm.

 _-At An Undisclosed Subterranean Location-_

A redheaded girl sat down after giving her report on the status of the South Hideout. She had been nervous, but based on the nods and smiles she received she did well.

It was very rare that her 'employer' gathered all of his top lieutenants together in one place, and she had been surprised to be included. She was just a teenager, and had only been in the 'organization' for a couple of years.

Still, she was smart, and she had proven her value. This wasn't the greatest place for her, but it sure as hell beat her time in Kusa, where she had been used and abused for her unique abilities. _No time to think about that now, I need to focus on what Orochimaru-sama is saying_.

"I understand our spies in Konoha have reported some interesting developments, Kabuto-kun?" Orochimaru. He scared her and she wasn't particularly loyal to him, but he treated her better than Kusa, and that was good enough for now.

"Indeed Orochimaru-sama. It seems that Tsunade has finally gotten around to recognizing Naruto-kun as the head of the Uzumaki Clan"

Karin froze _Uzumaki Clan! What?_ She did her best to hide her shock as Kabuto continued. _"_ Apparently he is engaged to the former Yamanaka Heiress and they have begun building a clan compound based on Kushina Uzumaki's designs."

 _Kushina Uzumaki...I know that name from somewhere, but where?_ She racked her brain trying to recall where she had heard that name before, finally it came to her. _Kaa-san told me about some of the famous members of our clan. She's the Red Hot Habañero!_

"Interesting...so Naruto-kun finally gets recognized as what he is. I suppose it will be interesting to see what the son of the Yellow Flash does now that he is a clan head. What of Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru was certainly interested in the Uzumaki Jincuuriki, but not as interested as he was in the Sharingan.

Meanwhile Karin's mind was a blur. Memories came flooding back to her, memories of happier times when her mother was still alive. Bed time stories and tall tales about Uzu and their clan.

 _If I remember correctly Kushina-sama wasn't in line to be the head of the Clan, but was still a member of the main family and descended from a Clan Head._

 _If this "Naruto" is really her son he could be the last remaining member of the clan's main family! And if he's engaged and building a compound he must be trying to rebuild the clan!_

She was getting very excited, but had to work hard to contain her excitement and remain outwardly neutral. Orochimaru would not take kindly to the head of his South Hideout and one of his top research assistants leaving to join his former village.

 _If Naruto-san is rebuilding the clan he will need all the help he can get. I may not be main family, but I'm still Uzumaki. I need to find out if Naruto-san really is who I think he is._

The rest of the meeting passed in a blur for her, not even the reports on her beloved Sasuke, the boy who had saved her life, and whom she had a massive, fan-girl-esque crush on, interested her much. Her mind was elsewhere.

She didn't sleep well that night, too many other things on her mind. The next day, as she left the Land of Sound to return to the South Hideout near the Land of Waves, Karin Uzumaki resolved to find a way to return to her Clan.

She'd need to convince Konoha her intentions were pure, that she wasn't some Kusa rogue-nin or spy for the Snake Sanin. She'd have to confirm Naruto was indeed an actual Uzumaki and not some imposter, and she'd likely have to resume her shinobi career.

That last one wasn't particularly appealing to her, but it would be worth it to truly be a part of something she believed in, to fill the hole she'd had in her heart since her mother's death. She'd do it if it meant actually seeing the Uzumaki Clan revived.

-End Chapter-

* * *

You know Hanabi's reaction to seeing Boruto and Himawari in that one episode where they go over to the Hyuga compound to see if Boruto has the Byakugan or not? I imagine Aunt Tenten as being at a similar level of smothering/doting.

Given that the story has morphed quite a bit from what it was originally intended I've changed the preview. I'm not super happy with the new one, but it is probably more accurate than the old one. I also don't want to keep holding this chapter back just because I hadn't come up with a better preview. (I wasn't going to update this story until I had a new one in place.)

The old one read:"Danzo manipulated Hiruzen Sarutobi into letting civilians have authority over shinobi affairs. Now it's up to Tsunade, the 5th Hokage, to re-establish the Hokage's Authority, but what is Danzo really planning? Naruto gets caught up in all the schemes as the last member of a Clan. Konoha Politics, Drama, and an inside look at the world of Konoha's Clans. NarutoxIno"

The new one reads: "Danzo wants to destroy the Will of Fire and become Hokage. Tsunade wants to reassert the Hokage's authority and do away with the Village Council. Naruto, Sasuke, and Tsunade all want to rebuild their clans. The other clan heads, elders, and civilian councilors all have their own agendas as well. Sometimes these goals complement each other, other times they don't. NarutoxIno."

Again, not super happy with it, but I think it's probably more accurate. Had a couple comments that the preview was misleading, and wanted to make sure that wasn't a thing. Hopefully this one is more accurate.

I'm also considering changing the title, though I've not made a final decision on that one yet.

Due to a writers block on one part of this chapter (which I ultimately scrapped) I actually finished a draft of Ch. 10 before I finished this chapter, but now I'm thinking I don't really like some of the plot points I introduced in Ch. 10, so I'll likely need to rewrite the chapter. With how crazy my schedule has been recently, and how much busier I'm about to get, I can't make any promises on when that will be out.

Answers and Responses to some of your comments and questions!

Q: Do you think Fu can be saved? (From the Foundation)

A: That would be a really cool story. In this story? I haven't really gotten that far along yet, but honestly I kinda doubt it. I do have an interesting thing happen to some Foundation Shinobi in my other story, though they aren't main characters or anything. Torune is directly, and Fu indirectly, alluded too in the most recent couple chapters of it. You might like what happens to Torune. You might not like what happens to Fu.

Q: Why would Ino just agree to keep her training with Danzo secret?

A: A few reasons. 1. She knows that Danzo is a powerful and influential elder and can likely make things difficult for her if she doesn't. 2. She's desperate for all the help and training she can get. 3. Danzo is giving her access to Fu, allowing her to learn Yamanka techniques.

That last part might require more elaboration, as I'm unsure if I've addressed this in the story yet. Ino essentially gave up on being a kunoichi, and only resumed her career because she was promised to Naruto. So she gave up on learning Yamanka techniques shortly after Naruto left on the training trip. Now, she is promised to another clan, so the Yamanaka don't really see the point in training her in their secret techniques since she won't actually be a Yamanka for much longer. After all clans have to be careful with their secret techniques, especially the ones that aren't genetic. Of course she still knows everything she did in Part One of Naruto, but in order to learn any beyond that her only choice is to learn from Fu, meaning she has to play by Danzo's rules.

Comment, but with a clearly implied question: The way things are going you could easily slip Hinata in as a 2nd wife.

Response/Answer: Technically, yes I could. I've been leaving open the possibility of him having a 2nd 2ife (Though I already have which character it would be picked out and it is not Hinata). That being said, the more I think about this story, the more I'm leaning towards just Ino.

My original idea was somehow the Namikaze are given Clan status so Naruto is allowed to take a 2nd Wife, one for the Uzumaki and one for the Namikaze, but the more I think about it the more I lean towards just sticking with the Uzumaki, and just Ino. As always, I'm not saying that's set in stone, but that's my current train of thought.

Also, in this story the Hyuga Clan are super protective of the Byakugan, and there is no way that they'd allow a member of the Clan to marry outside the clan unless that person actually joined the Hyugas, something that Naruto is unable to do as the Uzumaki head.

As a general rule with my two stories I'm trying to avoid NarutoxHinata and NarutoxSakura. Not because I dislike them (I don't have a problem with either) but because they seem to be so divisive and controversial.

With my other story I once had someone PM me asking if it was NarutoxHinata (It's not) and then told me that since it wasn't they weren't going to bother to read it. It's fine, to each their own, but I don't get why people seem to get so divisive about those two parings, and I generally try to avoid them. Again, I've read plenty of good NarutoxHinatas and NarutoxSakuras, and don't hate either, I just try to avoid them in my own writing.

Thanks for reading,

\- Col. Bogey


	10. Chapter 10

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

- _Mid September, 7 Months after Naruto returned to Konoha-_

It seemed like time had flown by for Naruto and his friends. It had already been over half a year since his return to Konoha, and in that time he grew considerably.

- _Flashback/_ _Montage-_

Shortly after taking his seat on the council he was finally tested by Tsunade on just how far he had progressed during his training trip. First Team 7 had recreated the bell test, and the Uchiha, soon to be Uchiha, and Uzumaki had absolutely destroyed Kakashi.

Then he was put through a series of 1 on 1 spars. Sakura, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Lee, Kakshi, Shizune, finally Tsunade herself all fought against him. He didn't win all of them, but he obviously did well, because he was immediately promoted to Tobuketsu Jonin, specializing in Fuinjutsu, and was told that the only thing holding him back from being eligible to try for the full Jonin rank was that he was lacking a minimum number of missions.

Unfortunately for him his other duties meant that he was making slow progress on meeting the minimum number of missions, but it didn't discourage him.

Throughout March and April he had taken hardly any missions while he had acclimated to his role as a Clan Head and village council member.

The civilian councilors clearly didn't enjoy that he was there, but they begrudgingly accepted his presence, especially after Sasuke had expressed displeasure that so many of them had opposed Naruto joining the council.

Naruto still found it strange to being refereed to as "Uzumaki-sama" by the general public, but he was slowly getting used to it.

That being said, he could tell that roughly half the population of the village only did so because it was expected, and they made no effort to hide their contempt for him. Still, only half? That was an improvement as far as he was concerned.

Using the Shadow Clone training method he had developed while training with Jiraya, Naruto had started to work on adding elemental chakra to the Rasengan, assisted by Kakashi and Yamato.

It was hard work, but by early June he had finished the move he dubbed 'Wind Style: Rasenshuriken" Only for Tsunade to declare the technique forbidden, a Kinjutsu, due to the amount of damage the jutsu did to its caster.

When not busy with Council business or the occasional mission, Naruto had also been busy helping Ino train.

She was making good progress, and right around the time Naruto finished the Rasenshuriken her various teachers had all told her they thought she was ready to enter the chunin exams. The only problem was she had no team.

July had seen Ino gain a teammate, in a way that caught both Ino and her future husband completely off guard.

 _-Flashback, July 1st-_

The sun was setting over Konoha on one of those summer nights where it stayed relatively light out until quite late. Naruto and Ino were just finishing an evening training session when an ANBU appeared before them. "Uzumaki-sama, Hokage-sama wishes to see you, please follow me to the T&I Building."

"T&I? What's baa-chan doing there?" a curious Naruto asked aloud. "You'll find out, but it's urgent, so please come with me, Uzumaki-sama."

After a quick goodbye to Ino he headed off after the ANBU. The T&I building was in the heart of Konoha, and it took a good half hour to walk there from the Uzumaki Estate on the outskirts of the village.

Inside the building he was ushered inside the office of the T&I commander, Ibiki Morino, to find Tsunade seated at what would usually be Ibiki's desk.

"What's up baa-chan? Why are we meeting here?" asked the curious Uzumaki. Tsunade stared at him with a serious expression and a glare, causing Naruto to tense up.

"About a month and a half ago an ANBU team operating near the Land of Waves encountered a girl about your age who claimed to be one of Orochimaru's top researchers, and who willingly and gladly surrendered to them without a fight. Since then Ibiki, Inoichi, and Anko have put the girl through all sorts of interrogations."

"And why does this requires my attention?" asked Naruto. "The girl is actually a Kusa missing-nin. She fled Kusa because they were abusing a very particular Kekkai Genkai. She can heal people by letting them bite her and suck out her chakra. Does that sound familiar to you?"

Naruto froze. He had read about that Kekkai Genkai in the library beneath the Uzumaki temple. "T-That's an Uzumaki Kekkai Genkai" he said, shocked. It took him a moment to recover from the surprising news, but he eventually continued.

"It's one held only by Uzumaki pure bloods, people who have no non Uzumaki ancestors. She might be the only one left who has it. The clan feared what other villages would do if they learned about it, so Uzu went to great lengths to try to keep that ability secret. I can't imagine how rare it is now."

"I read in my grandmother's journal that she thought one of the reasons for Uzu's destruction was an attempt by another village to steal or destroy this particular bloodline" Tsunade added. "And if she is the only remaining pure blooded Uzumaki she'll be the last one to possess such a Kekkai Genkai."

Naruto had loaned her Mito's journal from the Uzumaki library, and she had eagerly read it, which allowed her to know just how vigorously the Uzumaki Clan had attempted to keep this particular bloodline ability secret. "Needless to say I've kept the fact that she has that ability classified."

"Thank You, Hokage-sama. The Uzumaki Clan appreciates your discretion." The serious nature of the discussion caused Naruto to switch to the formal style of speech he used for council meetings and Uzumaki Clan business. He didn't like formality, but he was smart enough to know when it was required.

"Of course, but there's more. Apparently at some meeting shortly after you returned from your training trip she overheard Kabuto and Orochimaru discussing how the Uzumaki Clan was back, and she decided to defect from Oto to help restore the clan. As I said, T&I has done a number on her, and they did not detect any deception. She's actually been very helpful and willing to give up info on Orochimaru's network."

"So what is to become of her? Technically she's a missing-nin from an allied village" Naruto pointed out.

Tsunade smiled both because of the fact that Naruto was using his head and because she already had solved this particular issue, "Not a problem. Every treaty Konoha signs with other villages includes a clause preventing them from harboring secret techniques or Kekkai Genkai from Konoha Clans and vice-versa. The Uzumaki are an established Konoha Clan, and by having her on their roster without informing us they were technically in violation of our treaty. If they try anything I'll bring that up and they'll be thankful to just remain our allies despite their transgression."

"And the fact that she worked for Orochimaru?" "Inoichi searched her mind. She was never truly loyal to him, just happy to be treated better than she was in Kusa. As soon as she heard the Uuzmaki Clan was back any token loyalty or sympathy she had towards Oto was gone."

Tsunade then sighed, somewhat ashamed at one of their other actions to determine Karin's intent. "We also put her under a pretty harsh genjutsu, but we only did so in order to make sure her intentions were pure."

Naruto's eyebrows arched in a way that conveyed both curiosity and skepticism, and his eyes seemed to bore right through the Hokage's skull. "What exactly did they put her through?"

"They let her mind picture what she imagined you looked like, then had that 'Naruto' be tied up. She held a sword and was being ordered by Kabuto to kill you."

Naruto was not happy. "Hokage-sama how dare you put a member of my clan through that!"

"Don't you want to know how she reacted?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No, if she had acted in a way that was a cause for concern you wouldn't have called me down here, Hokage-sama."

"What if I'm just summoning you to witness her execution."

"Wouldn't happen, you know that as soon as I realized she is from my clan I'd have done everything in my power to stop you from executing her, even if she had killed me in the genjutsu."

Tsunade couldn't really dispute that point, so decided to move on. "Well just so you know She turned on Kabuto and attacked him. Once she killed him the genjutsu ended and I was summoned here. I had a very brief chat with her, and then I summoned you."

Naruto beamed, it seemed his clan was about to get bigger. "What's her name? Can I see her?"

Tsunade smiled at his enthusiasm. "Of course you can, and her name is Uzumaki Karin."

The two headed deeper into the building, to the holding cells. Outside of one particular cell stood Inoichi and Ibiki.

Naruto gave a nod and wave to his future father-in-law and the man who had served as a Procter during his chunin exam before looking into the cell.

Inside was a girl about his age with long red hair and red glasses. Her hands were cuffed together, and a number of Chakra suppressing tags and seals were on her clothing, cutting her off from her chakra network.

A genin level kunoichi, even one with a rare bloodline, wasn't really a security risk in such a secure facility, but T&I was known for being extremely cautious and thorough.

"Here he is Karin-san, my future son-in-law, Uzumaki Naruto" spoke Inoichi.

Karin looked out of her cell, and saw a blond boy staring back at her. "Are you kidding me? He doesn't even have red hair! There's no way he's an Uzumaki!" she screamed incredulously.

"Great! I risked my life to escape Orochimaru, was interrogated for over a month, and when they finally believe me it turns out the person I risked my life to join is not even an actual Uzumaki!"

Naruto frowned for a second, but then contained his emotions and forced a smile. "I'm actually half Uzumaki, and its nice to meet you Karin-chan." "Prove it!" she spat back at him, her voice full of rage, she clearly felt like she had been set up and lied too.

Naruto pulled out a storage scroll and unsealed paper and a chakra conducting pen. "I take it you have some Fuinjutsu skill, Karin-chan?" She nodded, and took a deep breath to calm down before responding "My mother taught me some in secret before she died, but I'm a bit rusty."

"Do you remember how to make an Uzumaki Blood Seal?" he asked. She simply nodded in return. "Good, how about a demonstration then? Make one, and I'll open it."

Naruto turned to Ibiki and Inoichi, and asked them to open the cell and unseal Karin's chakra. They in turn looked to Tsunade for confirmation.

Upon getting the Hokage's consent Inoichi went to summon more ANBU just in case, while Ibiki opened the cell and began removing the handcuffs and chakra suppression seals from Karin.

Once free she immediately set to work, and after a few minutes, she was rusty after all, she produced the required seal, which she then sealed the pen inside.

An Uzumaki Blood Seal was a type of fuinjutsu used by the clan had to convey classified messages. Uzumaki blood was required in order to open the seal. If he opened it that would be definitive evidence that Naruto was indeed an Uzumaki, at least partially.

Naruto drew blood from his thumb as if he was going to perform the summoning jutsu, but instead put said bloody thumb on the seal and shouted "Kai!" The seal reacted with his blood, and produced the pen. Karin's eyes went wide upon seeing that he was able to undo the seal. "Kabuto was right, you really are the son of Kushina-sama and" she caught herself abruptly before she could finish the sentence.

Just as she was about to say "The Yondaime Hokage" she remembered being told by Tsunade that Naruto's ancestry was classified, and that she would be severely punished if she revealed to anyone who either of his parents were.

The warning came with a briefing on who was already aware of what in regards to his heritage, so she knew that she wouldn't get in trouble for mentioning Kushina around him _but still, I almost got in big trouble for mentioning his father. Hokage-sama would have locked me up for life! Maybe even killed me!_ _I need to be more careful,_ she thought.

She then realized that he was staring at her, confused as to why she didn't finish her sentence. To try to keep him from pressing further she bowed low. "Naruto-sama, I apologize for ever doubting you. Please forgive me, all I want is to serve our clan in any way I can."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed by her display towards him "It's ok Karin-chan. If anything I'm at fault for not realizing my hair color would be a problem. I should have died my hair red before this meeting" he joked, "and please, no need to use '-sama.'"

"I can't do that, Naruto-sama. After she heard that Kushina-sama had died my mother thought we were the last of the clan, but she still taught me proper protocol for speaking with a clan head. Karin Uzumaki, at your service, Naruto-sama."

Naruto took two fingers and pinched the bridge of his nose, he was willing to put up with formality when dealing with official clan business, but he didn't really want people he considered close to him to use such reverence when speaking with him.

"*sigh* Very well then Karin-chan. Hokage-sama is she free to go?"

Hearing Tsunade affirm that she was free to leave Naruto turned around and headed towards the exit. "Come on Karin-chan, let's get you out of here." Karin bowed and followed her Clan's lord. "Lead on, Naruto-sama."

To most people in Konoha, Karin Uzumaki came off as loud, stubborn, and abrasive. To Naruto and Ino however, she was friendly, respectful, loyal, devoted, and completely obedient.

Despite their objections she insisted on referring to them as 'Naruto-sama' and 'Ino-sama,' and it was as if the Karin that interacted with them and the Karin that interacted with other people were two separate persons.

Like most clans the Uzumaki had a main family, and being a member of this family was a prerequisite to leading the Clan. Outside of the Clan Head and their immediate family everyone else was pretty much equal, but loyalty and respect towards the main family had been a key component of Uzu's culture.

Though he would have been pretty far down in the line of succession, Naruto would have been a member of the main family if he had been born in Uzu. Kushina had been the youngest child of the last leader of the Hidden Whirlpool Village, so even though all of Naruto's cousins would have been higher ranking than him he still would have been addressed as 'Naruto-sama' by every non 'royal' member of the village.

Karin had pieced all of this together based on what she remembered her mother saying and what she had heard Orochimaru and Kabuto say. She was not a member of the main family. However, her mother had been the child of people who worked for the main family.

Karin's grandmother had been a cook for the Uzumaki 'royal' family, and Karin's grandfather had been one of their bodyguards. Respect, loyalty, and obedience to the main family had been ingrained into her mother from birth.

Though she was aware that some members of the clan were in Konoha, and had even kept tabs on their exploits, Karin;s mother put herself into a self imposed exile, the thought of being around other Uzumaki was too painful for her. That is until she had met a fellow Uzumaki exile, Karin's father, and for a few years her life was happy, but it was not to last.

Back on her own, when Karin had been born she had devoted herself to raise Karin as a proper member of the Uzumaki clan. As a young girl Karin's bedtime stories had been tales of the great heroes of Uzu, most of whom were members of the main family.

Karin had been raised to revere, obey, and down right worship the main family. After her mother's death, she had set all thoughts of the Uzumaki aside, as her goal simply became to survive since she was being abused by Kusa in a similar way as what had led to her mother's death: total chakra depletion as a result of healing too many people at once.

It wasn't until she heard Orochimaru and Kabuto discussing the Uzumaki several years later that all Karin had been raised to believe as a child flooded back to her. She threw herself into her training, she needed to be strong if she was going to be able to be useful to her clan.

At first Naruto and Ino had been extremely uncomfortable with Karin's devotion to them. She basically acted like their servant.

Their judgement in the matter was clouded by the Hyuga Clan, where all but a small few members were considered to be the branch family, and were essentially servants of the main branch. They didn't want that for the Uzumaki.

After reading more on Uzumaki culture, and a few discussions with Tsunade, who recalled some stories Mito had told her, they had finally decided to let the matter drop.

They still weren't necessarily comfortable with Karin's level of devotion to them and her insistence on calling them '-sama,' but she stood firm on the matter, so Naruto and Ino decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

Karin insisted on being close by Naruto at all times, at least until her skills improved and she could get to him faster in case of emergency. She also needed a place to live. Though the construction of the Uzumaki Clan Head mansion was moving along nicely, it was not finished, so Karin had moved into Naruto's apartment with him, much to Ino's chagrin.

Naruto had also commissioned the building of a second, though smaller, house on the Uzumaki estate so that she could have her own place and Naruto and Ino would be able to have some privacy once they started living with each other.

In the meantime Naruto now found himself unable to cook or clean his own apartment, as Karin had insisted on taking over all the domestic work. "Naruto-sama is the Lord of the Clan, he can't be bothered to do such things" was her argument whenever he tried to help with the chores.

In truth Karin considered doing the housework for a teenage boy to be a small price to pay for what she had gained since joining Konoha. She hadn't been so happy since before her mother had died. Her clan was back, and she was finally achieving her mother's goal.

Since she had joined the village it had been determined that she and Ino would be teammates on the same Genin Team, and the two kunoichi ended up becoming fast friends after Ino got used to being referred to as "Ino-sama." Karin had also become good friends with Tenten, and to a lesser extent Hinata.

Naruto had been forced to fight off attempts to force him marry Karin in addition to Ino, as elders and civilians hoped that doing so would help prevent the Uzumaki bloodline from becoming too diluted.

Thankfully, the contract between the Uzumaki and Yamanaka stated that Ino was to be "the only woman allowed to marry Naruto in his capacity as Lord of the Uzumaki." It was an oddly worded line in the contract, but it bailed him out of having to take Karin as a wife as well.

By the end of July Karin had settled into Konoha, and made friends, but she was just pleased that she was able to follow in her ancestors' footsteps of working for the Uzumaki main family.

Meanwhile, Konoha was gearing up for a major event. In late July Sasuke had turned 16. Sakura had been 16 since March. The Uchiha wedding was therefore scheduled for early August. Originally Ino had never planned on attending the wedding, but Naruto was Sasuke's best man, and as his fiance and the future matriarch of the Uzumaki she was therefore all but required to attend the wedding.

It would have been scandalous for Naruto to show up by himself, or for anyone other than the girl that was betrothed to him to be his date for the occasion. Ino attended solely to keep up appearances.

Naruto and Ino had grown closer to each other over the preceding months, and freely admitted they liked each other. However, neither had been fully able to move on from their previous love, and it had proved to be a stumbling block in their relationship. Feelings for Sakura and Sasuke prevented Naruto and Ino from taking their relationship to the next level.

The Uchiha wedding was going to be a watershed moment for Naruto and Ino's relationship, and they both knew it.

If after seeing the long time objects of their affections finally married to another they still weren't able to move on and fully commit to each other, they were very worried about the future of their relationship. Neither one of them wanted to remain stuck in their unrequited loves or be in a loveless marriage.

- _The Uchiha Wedding_ _-_

Sasuke and Sakura took their final sips of Sake, completing the san-san-ku-do ceremony, and officially making them a married couple.

Normally such a ceremony would be completed in front of a small audience of close family, but the Uchiha wedding was a big deal.

Tsunade herself acted as the priestess, and most of the other Clan Heads and their immediate families were in attendance.

Naruto and Hinata were also on the podium as Best Man and Maid of Honor, though they were off to the side and the focus was on the couple.

With the ceremony complete, the newly minted Uchiha matriarch stole a kiss from her husband, eliciting loud roars of applause, and a few 'awws' from the audience, before embracing her Maid of Honor.

Sasuke made his way to Naruto, and the two pseudo-brothers embraced. "You take good care of her, teme." "Hn, of course, keep your eyes on your own girl dobe."

In truth, Naruto had been expecting his heart to shatter when his teammates kissed. His guilt at having feelings for his best friend's fiance had been tearing him apart for quite a while, especially because he knew that he should be moving past Sakura and focusing on Ino.

He had been both excited for and dreading this day. On one hand, his best friend took an important step in the revival of his clan and the girl he cared for had her life-long dream come true. He was truly happy for both of them, and honored to be a part of it.

On the other hand he fully expected his heart to shatter. He was going to be another Jiraya, except it would be worse. Instead of just being stuck in an unrequited love for the rest of his life he was going to also be trapped a loveless marriage.

As much as he wanted to look away as Sakura moved to kiss Sasuke, he was the best man, he couldn't do that.

As their lips touched he waited for his heart to shatter into million tiny pieces. However, instead of feeling dejected, he found he had a strong desire to kiss Ino.

He wasn't really sure what to make of that, romance had never been his strong suit, or that of his mentors, though Kakashi had managed to get married, so at least one of them had something going. With his Best Man duties temporarily complete he went off to find his own fiance and see if he could piece together just what was going on in his heart.

Ino had sat in the back row, as if trying to hide from the rest of the guests.

Shikamaru and Choji, her own pseudo-brothers that she had practically grown up with, sat protectively on either side of her, fully knowing her emotional dilemma. She was tempted to feign illness and summon Karin, who was waiting in a tea shop nearby, to take her home. Only the desire to not cause a scene kept Ino from doing so.

She had wanted to look away after the final sips of Sake, knowing Sakura was likely going to go in for a kiss as her dream came true, however Ino's inner gossip queen took over and she couldn't help but stare.

Shikamaru and Choji tensed, expecting her to start to have an emotional breakdown as her own dream of being Mrs. Uchiha finally shattered, permanently out of her reach, and they were surprised when instead of tears she just smiled.

"I'm happy for them" she said as her old teammates looked at her with shocked expressions. In truth Ino was just as surprised at how well she was taking this as Shikamaru and Choji were. Instead of the pain she expected, she felt happiness for them, and a strong desire to mend her relationship with Sakura.

 _Does this mean I'm actually over Sasuke?_ She thought before her mind turned to her own man, _I need to find Naruto!_

After a several minutes of alternating between searching for each other and having to stop and exchange pleasantries with people, Naruto and Ino finally met up on the dance floor.

They joined a number of other couples, including the bride and groom, on the floor in a slow dance, but held each other close enough that they could have a whispered conversation.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked. "I feel guilty about how much of a bitch I've been to Sakura. I'm gonna have to mend my relationship with her, after all you are teammates with the Uchihas and we'll likely socialize with them a lot. I don't want it to be awkward for you to have to chose between your wife and your teammate."

Naruto gave her a 'no nonsense' look. "Ino-chan, you know that's not what I meant."

She looked into his eyes and managed to give him a smile, "I'm doing ok. I watched them kiss and all I felt was happiness for them. No pain, no jealously, just embarrassment at my behavior these past few years. I'm not sure, but I think I may finally be fully over Sasuke, and I think I'm ready to take things further with you. I am also serious about needing to fix things with Sakura."

Ino truly felt like a great weight had been lifted from her, but she knew she wasn't the only one who had been dreading this day, and was concerned for the man she was now ready to commit to. "How about you, Naruto-kun? How are you?"

Naruto couldn't help but smile back at her. "About the same as you. When I saw them kiss I wasn't jealous, all I felt was an overwhelming urge to kiss you."

Ino's smile got bigger, and she blushed at the thought of really kissing Naruto. The two had kissed each other on the cheek before, but their feelings for others had always held them back from actually kissing on the lips.

"I suppose that can be arranged" she said somewhat teasingly, "but later, we don't want to be rude and upstage the bride and groom at their own wedding reception do we?" Naruto's expression was one of joy as he silently assented and held her closer to him, getting lost in the music as they danced.

In the month and a half since the Uchiha Wedding, with Sakura and Sasuke out of their way, Naruto and Ino had grown much closer. Their relationship bloomed from casual attraction to full on romance.

Ino had also made a point of apologizing to Sakura, and the two had begun to repair their relationship. It was slow going, as there were years of pent up aggression and anger on both sides, but they did make progress. This in turn was a good thing for all the Kunoichi of their generation.

Previously Tenten and Hinata were caught in the middle of the "great Sasuke feud" as they called it. They could either hang out with Ino or Sakura, but not both at the same time. Also, choosing to hang out with one would temporarily earn them the wrath of the other. It was not healthy for their friendships.

Now, with Ino and Sakura back on speaking terms, and with the addition of Karin to their group, the female members of the Konoha 12 could finally socialize as a group again.

The other big event that happened in August was the birth of the Sarutobi Clan Heiress. The small black haired, red eyed baby girl, named Mirai, had been welcomed into the world just one week after the Uchiha wedding, and Asuma and Kurenai couldn't have been happier.

Teams 10 and 8 had immediately become incredibly overprotective of the girl that was their honorary niece. Ino and Hinata baby sat for brief periods to allow the Sarutobi couple to actually sleep. Shino and Shikamaru were tapped to serve as teachers and mentors for the girl when she was old enough. Choji, Kiba, and Akamaru also helped out in a variety of ways. There was no doubt that the baby would refer to her parents' students as 'Aunt' and 'Uncle' when she was old enough.

The possible political benefits were not lost on Tsunade, or Asuma for that matter. The Sarutobi clan was already incredibly close with the Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Nara, but the bonds baby Miria would eventually develop with Shino, Kiba, and Hinata would lead to closer ties between the Sarutobi and Aburame, Inuzuka, and Hyuga, much like his marriage to Kurenai had.

Similarly, they could expect closer ties to the Uzumaki because of Ino. The Senju were also involved, as Kakashi and Shizune were Mirai's god parents, and the soon to be born Senju heir or heiress would likely grow up a close friend of the infant Sarutobi.

It all made Tsunade very nostalgic as she observed the two parents with great joy, but also great sadness. _I wish Sarutobi-sensei were here to see this,_ _he would have loved to meet his granddaughter_ she thought as she watched Konohamaru hold his baby cousin for the first time, while his Aunt and Uncle looked on.

- _End of Montage._ _The Uzumaki Library, September 22nd_ -

September 22nd, one day before Ino's sixteenth birthday. Just a few weeks before Naruto turned sixteen as well.

If it weren't for the fact that she was still a genin she'd likely be consumed with planning a late October or early November wedding, instead she was spending her last day as a 15 year old in the Uzumaki Library with Karin, continuing to read up on her soon to be clan.

Over the past few months she had occasionally pulled out her future mother-in-law's journal and read a few pages. The more she read the more she became interested in Kushina, and often accompanied Naruto on his secret visits to her grave. Secret because his heritage was technically still classified.

On this particular day Ino and Karin had finished reading a fuinjutsu scroll, and had practiced the techniques it held until their chakra became low and they had to stop, so as she waited for her reserves to recover Ino decided to once again pull out Kushina's journal and read a few more pages.

After about 15 minutes of reading, she stumbled upon a page that caught her attention. "Today Minato-kun asked me on a date! I can't believe it! We're meeting at the park tomorrow evening. I'm so excited! He saved my life all those years ago, and he's one of the only people who doesn't make fun of my hair! I really like him, and I know this is gonna be great, dattebane!"

At first the significance of the line was lost on the former Yamanaka Heriess. _It's really cute how she actually writes out the verbal tick she supposedly had. Naruto has one too…._

Suddenly, it dawned on her. _Wait, hold on a second….Minato? As in Namikaze-sama? Kushina dated the Yondaime? Could he be? I mean, Naruto kinda looks like him, but he couldn't be...could he?_ Ino skipped forward several pages, searching for answers.

Eventually, after flipping forward by a couple of years, she found her answer. "Minato-kun asked me to marry him! Of course I said Yes, but I'm going to keep my last name in honor of my home village 'tebane! Minato-kun was sweet enough to say it didn't bother him that I wasn't going to take the name Naimkaze."

 _Kushina married Lord Fourth!? Naruto really is? No, this doesn't actually prove anything. I need to find more._ Again, Ino skipped forward, though not as many pages this time, looking for definitive proof of her suspicions.

"Just three more months until we get to meet our child! Minato-kun and I decided what we are going to name our child if it is a boy.

If we have a son we'd want him to be exactly like the main character in Jiraya-sensei's only non-smut book, _Tales of An Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_ , so if it is a boy we're going to give him the same name as that character: Naruto. We're still not sure what we're going to name our child if it's a girl."

 _OH. MY. GOD. Naruto is really the Yondaime's son. Naruto is not only a member of the Uzumaki main family but the child of a Hokage. This is fantastic!_ Ino was absolutely shocked, and could hardly contain her joy. _I'm going to marry the Yondaime's son! Take that forehead!_ She mentally gave herself a point in the now renewed friendly rivalry between her and Sakura Uchiha.

"Is everything ok, Ino-sama?" Karin had noticed Ino's shocked expression. Ino was still to stunned to speak, and simply handed the book to Karin. Karin looked the page over before responding with "Ah, you finally figured it out. Are you going to tell Naruto-sama?" Her words snapped Ino back to reality, and she frowned, "wait, you knew?"

"Yes, when I first heard about the revived Uzumaki Clan Orochimaru made the comment that he was curious to see just how far the child of Kushina-sama and Minato-sama would go. When I got here Hokage-sama made it very clear that I couldn't reveal that I knew who Naruto-sama's father was to anyone, not even him."

At that point Karin came to a realization. By following the Hokage's orders and lying to Naruto she had essentially betrayed Naruto's trust, and after all he had done for her since she had arrived in Konoha.

She quickly fell to her knees in front of Ino. "Please forgive me, Ino-sama. I've brought shame to my ancestors by putting the village above Naruto-sama. It will never happen again, I swear."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to" Ino replied,"but Naruto is one of the most forgiving people I've ever met, and I'm sure he'll forgive you. Right now we just need to find him, he needs to read this." She said, referring to Kushina's diary.

Though low on chakra, Karin activated her sensory ability and focused on Naruto's chakra signature. She didn't actually need to do so, as she was fully aware of where Naruto was, but he had asked her to stall for him, so she made a show of using her abilities. "Naruto-sama is in the Uchiha Compound. Would you like me to go get him for you, Ino-sama?"

"No thanks Karin, he's probably just doing some Team 7 bonding, and this is the perfect opportunity to practice one of my Yamanaka techniques." Over the months Ino had continued to train with Danzo and her long-lost cousin Fu. Since she was promised to the Uzumaki Clan no one in the Yamanaka Clan was willing to train her in their abilities, but Danzo and Fu were more than happy to.

That was the only reason she continued to train with them, overall they still creeped her out and scared her.

Like most Yamanaka, and also most Uzumaki, Ino was a sensor. In the general shinobi population it was an incredibly rare thing, but it was more common than not in these two clans. She too honed in on Naruto's chakra signature before using the telepathic communication technique Fu had recently taught her.

 _Shindenshin no jutsu._ " _Naruto? It's Ino, I need to see you at the temple library as soon as possible. I found something really important."_

Naruto couldn't reply, as she didn't yet have the skill or chakra capacity for two way communication, though Fu assured her that once she mastered the technique they would be able to hash out entire marital arguments telepathically. For now she just sat back and waited for him.

- _The Uchiha Compound-_

Naruto had not just been bonding with his teammates. They had been putting the finishing touches on Ino's surprise birthday party that would be happening the next day. That was why he had asked Karin to keep Ino distracted.

Naruto originally wanted to host it at the Uzumaki Estate, but the weather forecast called for rain, and due to how intricate and huge Kushina's designs were the Uzumaki Mansion wouldn't be finished until February at the earliest. It had been slightly delayed by Naruto's insistence that a house for Karin be finished at the same time, making it a full year construction project

Thanks to Ino and Sakura's renewed friendship it had been fairly easy for him to convince his teammates and pseudo-siblings to host the party at the Uchiha compound.

The plan was simple, Sakura, Karin, Hinata, and Tenten would take Ino out to lunch and distract here while the rest of the Konoha 12, their sensei, Ino's parents, and a few other guests gathered at the Uchiha compound.

After finishing heir lunch the girls would make up some excuse to go to the Uchiha compound, and when they arrived the surprise party would begin.

Just as this small army of Shadow Clones finished decorating the main room of the Uchiha mansion Naruto heard Ino's voice in his head. _"Naruto? It's Ino, I need to see you at the temple library as soon as possible I found something really important."_

Naruto was proud of Ino's development as kunoichi, and was pleased at her progress with this technique. _She's getting really good at that whole telepathy thing. I wonder why she's making me keep the fact that she knows how to use it a secret? And what could be so important?_

Thankfully they were done, so Naruto quickly took his leave. "Thanks again, Sasuke, Sakura-chan. I owe you for all this. I'd like to stay and hang out for a bit, but I promised Ino I'd meet up with her this afternoon. See you tomorrow!"

- _The Uzumaki Temple Library-_

Karin looked up from the scroll she was reading _"_ Naruto-sama is approaching." Ino 'turned on' her own sensory abilities and found Naruto's chakra approaching the temple. He'd be in the library in just a couple minutes.

She stood up and headed to a corner of the room where a couple of months back she had set up an electronic kettle, some tea, and some cups. Karin was immediately at her side "please, allow me Ino-sama."

Ino shook her head, but relented. She had given up trying to argue with Karin some time ago. _The Uzumaki are possibly the most stubborn Clan in the village. I suppose if Shikamaru is to be believed I'll fit quite well._

"What's up, Ino?" Naruto called as he walked down the stairs. Ino walked over and met him at the base of the stairs, where she wrapped her arms around his neck and claimed his lips for a quick kiss.

She then guided him to the couch and sat down next to him. "For what it's' worth, I'm sorry you found out this way." she said as she handed him a book. "This is your mother's journal. I've flagged the pages I think you should read."

As Naruto began reading Ino draped her arms around him and leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder and sending a subconscious message of support.

Karin brought out the tea and kneeled in front of Naruto, ready to confess her sins against him and beg forgiveness when he finished reading.

With each page he read, Naruto's expression grew more confused, until he reached the page detailing his name. At that point his body language and facial expression became unreadable.

Naruto put down the book and stared at it with a blank expression. He made no reaction for several long moments, but eventually he spoke in a very soft voice. "My own father...my own father made me a jinchuuriki...my own father made me the object of hatred for the whole village."

As tears began to flow from his eyes Ino tightened her grip on her fiance, doing her best to silently support and comfort him. No one dared move for what seemed like ages, but finally Naruto was able to recompose himself.

As he looked up from the book he had been staring at he noticed Karin, kneeling in front of him with her head bowed. _She usually only does this when she has something she needs to tell me but doesn't want to interrupt_ he thought. "What's up, Karin-chan?"

Karin blinked nervously. Despite Ino's words and her own observations of Naruto she was terrified. Would he be upset? Would he exile her from the Uzumaki Clan? Would he send her back to prison or banish her from Konoha?

"I must apologize, Naruto-sama. I didn't realize it until just recently, but I broke my oath to serve the clan before the village."

She confessed all. She had known the identity of Naruto's father, but had followed Tsunade's instructions not to reveal his identity. The moment she became a member of Naruto's new Uzumaki Clan she should have told him, but she didn't.

She went further into detail. She had asked Tsunade why the information had to be kept from Naruto. Apparently the Hokage didn't trust him with the information. To her, he was still the short, loudmouthed, idiot who would have shouted his father's identity from the rooftops.

Tsunade ignored just how much the boy had matured since he was a genin. Could he still be rambunctious, obnoxious, and occasionally stupid? Yeah, but that was the exception now, not the rule. To Naruto it felt like his beloved 'baa-chan' had betrayed him, and it hurt. He had finally learned his father's identity, but at the cost of realizing some of the people he looked up to the most had purposely lied to him.

He sat there for a couple minutes, processing Karin's words. All the while Karin was nearly hyperventilating, she was so nervous about how he would react. Finally, he looked the kneeling girl straight in the eyes. "You're right Karin, technically you broke your oath to me." _Oh No! He's not gonna forgive me!_

"But you were still new to the village and were probably just trying to stay on the Hokage's good side so you wouldn't be thrown back in prison. I forgive you and you're not the person I'm mad at, just don't do it again."

Karin's eyes lit up _h-he forgave me!_ "N-Naruto-sama...thank you, I won't fail you again." The Uzumaki Clan Head didn't really feel like smiling, but forced one on his face in order to reassure his clanswoman. "I know you won't, Karin-chan."

The young Lord of the Uzumaki then turned to Ino, still wrapped tightly and protectively around him. "Ino-chan, thank you. I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to bail on our dinner plans. I need to go have a chat with Hokage-sama."

- _1 Hour later_ , _The Hokage Tower-_

"Hokage-sama?" Tsunade's secretary stuck his head in the door cautiously. Seeing that nothing was being thrown at him he continued, "Uzumaki-sama would like to speak to you."

Tsunade perked up, it had been a stressful day and she had almost punched that particular secretary through a wall several times, perhaps a visit from her pseudo-grand son would cheer her up. "Send him in."

"Hokage-sama." Naruto said coldly as he walked in. _That's weird. He usually only calls me that when other people are around. When we are alone it's usually 'baa-chan.'_ "What can I do for you, gaki?"

His voice was like ice as he emotionlessly stated "You can explain to me why my own father made me a jinchuuriki, and why both you and Lord 3rd lied to me."

That got Tsunade's attention. _Oh, Shit!_ _He found out, and he's mad. He's not even referring to Sarutobi-sensei as 'jiji' even when he's in clan head mode and calling me Hokage-sama he insists on calling Sarutobi-sensei 'jiji.' This is bad._ "How did you find out? Did Karin tell you? I told her she'd be going back to prison if she said anything, but I guess"

"Karin-chan didn't say anything. Ino read in my mother's journal how she and my father decided on my name" he interrupted before Tsunade could finish throwing his clanswoman under the metaphorical bus. "Who else knows? Kakashi-sensei?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, Kakashi knows you are his sensei and surrogate father's son. So do all the Clan Heads except Sasuke. You shouldn't blame any of them. Sarutobi-sensei passed a law that any one who revealed your heritage would be executed, no trial, just death. I've kept that law in place. If you are going to be mad at anyone be mad at me, not Kakashi or the Clan Heads."

"Why?" Emotion returned to Naruto's voice, it was full of hurt. "Your father had a lot of enemies, if they knew you were alive they'd have sent assassins after you, and quite frankly I don't think you'll be able to keep your mouth shut about this, it's for your own good, Naruto."

Naruto glared back at her. "I can forgive Jiji, after all as a kid I definitely would have told everybody. You though, I thought you knew me better than that, Hokage-sama. Has my behavior as Clan Head been overly loud or immature?"

Tsunade looked down in guilt, she had to admit that Naruto had shown himself to be much more mature since he returned from his training trip, but she had refused to acknowledge that he had grown up. Part of her still wanted to view him as the naive boy she considered her grandson.

She got up from her desk and moved towards her distant relative. She reached out to pull him in to an embrace, only for him to push her away. "Naruto….I'm sorry, you're right, I should have told you" she said, desperate for his forgiveness.

He continued to look back at her coldly. "I want all of my father's records, holdings, anything. I know the Namikaze weren't a clan, but I'm guessing he still had quite a few things of value. I just came down here to ask for what's rightfully mine, and to tell you that while I won't hold this against the Senju Clan as a whole, you've betrayed your grandmother's clan and that won't be forgotten, Hokage-sama."

With that, Naruto shushined out of the Hokage Tower, leaving Tsunade to drink until she blacked out, unable to deal with the pain she felt from Naruto's words.

- _Naruto's Apartment-_

Assuming that Karin and Ino would still be at the temple, and wanting to be alone, Naruto headed back to his apartment, or rather, Karin and his apartment.

His whole world had shattered, Naruto dreamed of being the Hokage, but having realized that the 3rd, 4th, and 5th had all betrayed him in one way or another, his heroes didn't seem so heroic anymore. He had meant what he said about forgiving the 3rd, but the 4th and the 5th? No. In his mind what they did to him was unforgivable.

Eager to sleep off how horrible he felt, he entered the apartment only to find Karin and Ino waiting for him. Within minutes he had told them about his meeting with Tsunade, and had collapsed, sobbing, into Ino's arms.

Ino gave Karin a look, and the redhead got the message. She headed outside to give the couple some privacy, and occupied herself with guard duty from the rooftop.

For the second time in just a few hours Naruto felt his betrothed tighten her hold on him, offering support and comfort. It was a nice feeling to know that she was there for him, it wasn't something he was used too. Whenever he broke down as a kid there had been no one there for him, and he had to admit that having her be there for him helped.

Ino ran a hand through Naruto's hair, stroking his head as he let out his emotions. She didn't like to see her fiance like this. She was well aware of how sad Naruto's life had been, and how much of his exuberance had just been an act, but the fact that he was probably used to feeling like this offered her no comfort.

 _It's not fair, he's been through so much in his life. If I had known what he was going through when we were kids I wouldn't have been such a jerk to him. I'd like to think I would have tried to be his friend._

Ino had to fight back the urge to apologize for how she had treated her fiance in the past. She had tried to do so numerous times during their relationship and he always waved it off like it wasn't a big deal and that she had no need to apologize. As a whole their relationship was great, but his refusal to hear her out on this issue was one of their few points of contention.

As she held his heaving form against her own she had a bit of an epiphany. His constant refusal to accept her apology was not helping either of them. It wasn't helping her get over her guilt and it certainly wasn't helping him move on with his life, and right now he really needed to come to peace with his past and move on.

 _I can't control how anyone else feels about how they treated him, but I know what I did was unacceptable. I will make him acknowledge that!_ "Naruto, I'm sorry for how I" "Ino-chan, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to apologize? Can we not do this right now?" he forced out in between sobs, interrupting her attempted apology yet again.

Ino held firm. "No, Naruto, we are doing this right now, I know you're feeling down and the last thing you want is to relive painful memories, but now that you know who your father is you need to acknowledge the fact that the way this village has treated you is unacceptable. Lord 3rd, Lady 5th, The civilians, The council, and even me. All of us have mistreated you in some shape or form and you'll never be able to move on and find inner peace unless you accept that."

"But Ino, you're here for me know. You're one of my best friends now." He said pleadingly, this was not a conversation he wanted to have, ever.

"That doesn't excuse what I did in the past Naruto, now please, let me do this. If not for your own sake than let me do this so that I can not be consumed by guilt every time I see you upset. Knowing that I played a part in making your past painful is tearing me up. Please let me apologize so that we can both move on."

 _She feels guilty when she sees me like this?_ The realization came as a shock to Naruto, and between that and his less than composed state he could only nod meekly, assenting to her desire.

Ino took a deep breath and began,

"Naruto, when we were kids I went out of my way to be mean to you and pick on you. I did so because everyone else did and I just went with the crowd. I wanted to be popular. I didn't bother to think about what you had done to deserve the scorn of our classmates, which of course was nothing. I just picked on you. I contributed to your misery. Despite that you've never been anything but incredibly kind to me, and have always gone out of your way to help me. I don't deserve your kindness given all that I've done in the past, and I'll never be able to repay you for what you've done for me these last few months, but let me just say that I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to treat you that way when we were kids, and I'm sorry."

Naruto lifted his head off of Ino's shoulder, where it had been for his whole break down, and tried to calm his emotions. This conversation, that he had been trying to avoid for months, was happening, and he needed to be composed for it. Truly this was a terrible day for him.

He thought for a minute about her words, and he couldn't deny the logic. He was the child of both a Clan Head and a Kage, by all rights he should practically be royalty in Konoha like he certainly would have been in Uzu. Instead, he had been an outcast, and to this day was still a pariah to a good chunk of the populace.

He was also unable to deny that Ino had been extremely mean to him when they were younger, actively scoffing at his attempts at friendship, and that it had hurt, a lot. She had been one of his biggest bullies.

In the back of his mind Naruto had known all of this, he had known his treatment was wrong for years. Yet, to him, he had a very good reason for trying to forget about all of it.

"You are right, Ino. What happened to me was wrong, and you aren't blameless in it. That being said you've more than made it up, and I forgive you. I'm also sorry for preventing you from apologizing all those times. I don't like to think about my childhood. All it does is make me mad, really mad. Sometimes some of the fox's influence leaks in and I end up imagining myself killing villagers in revenge. It scares me and I don't like to think about it, so now that you've apologized and I've forgiven you can we not talk about this anymore?"

Ino's facial expression was one part relief at being forgiven, one part frown at learning why Naruto avoided this conversation for so long, and one part concern and sympathy. "Ok, we won't talk about this anymore...for now."

Naruto forced a smile, he had to admit that acknowledging his mistreatment at the hands of the village made him feel a bit better. "Thanks, Ino-chan. And thanks for today. It's been difficult, but your comfort and support has been amazing. I, I love you."

Those last words slipped out, surprising not only Ino, but Naruto himself. He had never thought about it before, but now that he had said it he realized that he did in fact love Ino. Her constant companionship the last several months had been very important, and she was amongst his most important people.

As he thought about her, and their relationship, all the sorrow he felt was replaced by a warm feeling. _Scratch that, Ino is not just amongst my precious people, she is my most precious person. So this is what it feels like to be in love?_

Meanwhile Ino's initial shock at his confession had been replaced by her own warm feelings, and a deep blush was visible on her face.

 _Naruto loves me? After all I did to him he really loves me? That's just like him. I was a bitch to him for years, and yet as soon as our marriage was arranged he's taking time to help me deal with my problems and get my career back on track._ _I don't even want to think about where my life would be right now without him. At this point I can't imagine my life without him in it….oh my god, I, I "_ I love you too, Naruto."

They sat on the couch, holding each other and soaking in their new love late into the night. Before either one had realized how tired they were they had fallen asleep, on the couch, in each other's arms, with smiles on their faces.

Eventually Karin returned to the apartment, and knowing that Inoichi didn't allow Ino to spend the night at Naruto's apartment she woke the couple up and escorted Ino home while Naruto climbed into bed.

When Karin returned she lay down on the couch, having refused Naruto's offers to let her sleep in the bed and him on the couch when she had first moved in. "Naruto-sama deserves the bed more than I do. I'm happy to take the couch and grateful to Naruto-sama for putting me up until the compound is done" was her stock response when asked about living arrangements.

Naruto's day had been a whirlwind of various emotions. It had started with enjoyment and excitement as he hung out with his Team 7 family and prepared for Ino's birthday.

It had turned dark as he learned his father's identity, and with that secret came the realization that the people he had looked up to the most had essentially betrayed him.

It had ended better than he had ever expected, with love, and the realization that he and Ino would not be stuck in a loveless marriage.

With all that had gone on Naruto was mentally and emotionally exhausted, and quickly fell asleep, after all there was a party the next day, and Naruto was more determined than ever to make sure that the girl he loved had a memorable birthday.

-End of Chapter-

* * *

Well, I didn't have to re-write that as much as I thought I did.

We'll soon be gearing up for Ino's chunin exams, in fact I think there is a good chance that the second half of the next chapter will introduce you to her 3rd teammate and jonin 'sensei', and ch. 12 will probably include the 1st exam, if not the second as well, in addition to some other things I want to have other characters doing as side plots.

If you couldn't tell, the Uchiha wedding incorporated elements of both the standard Western wedding, and the Shinto wedding that episode 500 of the Anime and the credits to The Last Movie implied is the style actually used in canon. This is what I'm going to be using, because I don't know enough about Japanese culture to feel comfortable writing about a full on Shinto wedding.

On the 4th betraying Naruto: That's how Naruto perceives the fact that his own father made him a Jinchuuriki. Wether or not it was an actual betrayal is debatable, but in Naruto's mind it was.

Romance really isn't my strength. Given my own complete lack of any romantic life I have no experience with it, and so I'm terrible at writing it. My apologies if that whole 'they realize they are in love' scene came off as too cheesy or going from 'liking each other but it's complicated' to 'I love you' in approximately a month and a half is too rushed.

Only received one question after Ch. 9, so I'll go ahead and answer that one:

Q: How does Danzo have Sishui's eye when Itachi is the one who has it? He puts it on a bird, and crams it down Naruto's throat.

A: It's true that Shishui gives one of his eyes to Itachi. It's also also true that Danzo gets his hands on the other. To quote from Narutopedia: "Danzo, however, determined to protect the village in his own way and, believing that Shisui may try to manipulate him as well, stole the latter's right eye, implanting it into his socket." So you're both right and wrong, in canon one is in Naruto's stomach by way of Itachi, the other is with Danzo.

Thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


	11. Chapter 11

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

 **-** _October 3_ _rd_ _, One Week Before Naruto's Birthday. Yakiniku Q BBQ Restaurant-_

The 'Kunoichi 5,' a group consisting of the 4 female members of the 'Konoha 12' and Karin, sat around a table. It was a girls' night, and they were having a great time out on the town.

There was a slight lull in the conversation as more food was brought to the table. Hinata, ever someone to look out for a certain blond, took advantage of the brief period of quiet.

As she placed a piece of beef over the flame, Naruto's long time admirer asked: "So Ino, it's a week until Naruto-kun's birthday. He threw you a huge party, what are you going to do for him?"

Ino took a brief minute to recall her own birthday party. Naruto really had gone all out. At first she had thought that Sasuke and Sakura had been involved in the planning, since it was at their place, and she had approached them as the party wound down in order to offer to pay for a cleaning service.

She was surprised to learn that Naruto had already taken care of that.

The Uchiha's hadn't spent any money on the food or decorations. They were getting a cleaning service to go over their entire mansion, not just the parts used for the party, an expensive service, and were even getting money in exchange for 'renting' out their house for the party, all paid for from Uzumaki Clan accounts.

Not only that, but Naruto had bought her several lavish gifts. Jewelry, expensive clothing, and etc. The fact that he was willing to spend so much money to give her a memorable birthday was nice. It was one of the first times in public where the affection the Uzumaki couple showed for each other was genuine, not embellished or faked for public perception. It was also one of the first times Ino actually felt like staying at a large social gathering and letting loose in years.

As she took a bite of her meal she blushed deeply, recalling how she and Naruto had been perhaps too brazen in their displays of affection for each other.

Kiba had almost fainted when he walked into the Uchiha kitchen, only to find the Uzumaki couple making out against the refrigerator. Hinata, who had been accompanying Kiba to the kitchen in their search for more snacks, had actually fainted.

It had truly been a night to remember, and knowing that his birthday was coming up she had woken up the next day feeling a great deal of pressure to throw something equally lavish for him.

However, after talking to Naruto, she had decided against it.

She swallowed her food, smiled, and responded to Hinata's question. "Yeah, that was a really great party. I was planning on throwing a huge one for Naruto, but ultimately decided I wasn't going to throw him a party."

Ino was met with shocked expressions and audible gasps. Only Karin didn't seem to have a negative reaction to her declaration.

Hinata verbally lashed out at Ino. "How could you? Naruto-kun went out of his way to make you feel special and loved on your birthday, and you aren't even going to do anything for his?" Her anger was fueled by her own unrequited love for the boy, and her jealousy of Ino's position as his betrothed.

Ino tried to be civil. After all, while things were slightly awkward between her and the Hyuga, Hinata had taken Naruto and Ino's engagement much better than Ino had expected her too. It hadn't ended their friendship, something that Ino was extremely grateful for, especially since Ino didn't think she deserved that given how she had reacted to Saukra's engagement to Sasuke.

"Hinata, calm down. I had every intention of throwing him a party just as big as the one he threw for me, until I found out that he hates his birthday."

"What?" Expressions of shock and anger on the faces of Hinata, Sakura, and Tenten turned to ones of confusion. It was understandable, birthdays were supposed to be happy events.

Karin jumped into the discussion to help out her future clan matriarch. "There is that festival on Naruto-sama's birthday celebrating the Yondaime's defeat of the Kyuubi. The fact that Naruto-sama hosts the Kyuubi was never really a secret, and on the festival day many people go out of their way to make Naruto-sama's life terrible."

Ino nodded, confirming Karin's statement. "Apparently when he was a kid, people would break into his apartment and beat him on his birthday. He told me that the first time he didn't end up in the hospital on his birthday was the year we became genin, and that was because he was out of the village on a mission with Team 7. His apartment was still broken into and trashed."

The other kunoichi at the table looked concerned as Ino continued. "I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday and he got so scared. He was in tears just remembering that his birthday was coming up. So I'm not throwing him a party. We have a place we can go that no one knows about, so Naruto is spending his birthday there, hiding. I'm going to be keeping him company and try to do little things to to make his birthday special."

"Meanwhile I'll be keeping an eye on the Uzumaki estate. I've spoken to Hokage-sama and she's agreed to mobilize the ANBU to help protect it, along with Naruto-sama's apartment" Karin added, glad to do her part for her Clan Head.

"Hopefully in the future I will be able to throw him a party like he did for me, but for now I'm going to respect his wishes, help him hide, and show him that not everyone is out to get him on his birthday." As Ino finished speaking she noticed tears in the eyes of her friends.

They were obviously uncomfortable with the idea of Naruto of all people being so mistreated by the villagers that his normally ultra-positive, almost naive enthusiasm could so suddenly flip to object terror and pain every October 10th. Then again, wether through sheer instinct or deliberate effort, Naruto had always had a very carefully cultivated public persona. Only Ino, Karin, and Jiraya had ever gained enough of his trust for him to completely drop the mastk around them.

So of course Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata would be bothered. Their version of Naruto, the one he wanted them to see, would never let something like that get to him. It was especially sobering for Sakura and Hinata, who were closer to the jinchuuriki than Tenten was, and it was mostly for their sake that Ino even brought up Naruto's behavior.

Hinata's obsession with him was based largely on the attitude of his public persona, and while his carefully controlled image was based in part on his actual personality, he absolutely could be that exuberant at times, his negative emotions could have just as strong of an influence on his behavior and attitude as his positive ones. He'd also sworn off his dream of being Hokage, though that wasn't public knowledge. Karin didn't even know that yet.

Ino suspected that if Naruto ever dropped his mask around Hinata while in a bad mood she'd quickly lose a lot of her affection for him. Her 'love' of him was based on the 'I'll never give up' and 'I never go back on my word' attitude that quite frankly was only a very small part of his real personality. Ino hoped that by revealing his fear and dread of his birthday, it would put some cracks in the Hyuga's perfect vision of Naruto, thus speeding up the process of her moving on.

Sakura had mistreated Naruto even more than Ino had as a kid, and that was saying something. Ino suspected that Sakura was part of the reason Naruto wore a mask so often, and part of the reason that his negative emotions could have such a drastic impact on him. So she was pleased to see how her pink haired friend was taking the news of her teammate's inner turmoil.

"I couldn't even have told you when his birthday was until just recently. He's like my brother but I never bothered to really learn anything about him." Sakura was especially crushed. "I was always such a jerk to him too, at least until the Chunin Exams..." She was not taking the news well.

Ino reached across the table and put her hand on Sakura's. "I was too, I tried to apologize to him several times, but it wasn't until he realized that I felt guilty, not just about how I treated him, but how the village as a whole treated him, that he actually let me. He just wants to forget about the way people acted towards him in the past and move on."

Sakura nodded, and forced a smile. Mentaly, Ino was giddy, _That's right, realize all the things you did to him back then, let the guilt consume you like it did me. It's the only way you'll ever truly be someone Naruto-kun and I can depend on._

"That doesn't make what he went through as a child any less wrong." Tenten stated. "Nor does it excuse the things he still goes through in this village" Hinata said in a dark tone.

 _If you only you knew just how wrong. Once his father's identity gets out the whole village better be on their knees begging him to forgive them_ Ino thought. She looked over at Karin, who had a grim expression on her face.

Ino reached out to her future clanswoman with her Yamanaka Clan telepathic abilities. " _Don't worry, Karin. Naruto won't like it, but you and I will make sure everyone knows just how badly he was treated. We'll make them all understand."_

Hearing Ino's thoughts in her head, Karin gave a very slight nod. The Uzumaki women would protect Naruto, and if necessary, the two of them would make the village pay for what they did to him. In their minds it was the only way they could even come close to repaying all that he had done for them.

- _At the Same Time, Foundation Headquarters, Danzo's Office-_

Danzo leaned forward in his chair, analyzing the latest reports on a long term project. Years ago he had made a huge effort to bring Naruto into the Foundation, but it had been unsuccessful. Hiruzen had been against it, and even the civilians had turned on him, preferring Naruto to continue to be neglected in an orphanage.

After Naruto had moved into his apartment Danzo had reexamined things, and decided to use his influence to get some of his retired Foundation shinobi on the staff at said orphanage.

Over the years since then, most of the children who had gone through that orphanage had been steered to the Foundation in one way or another.

Some were 'adopted' by Foundation shinobi posing as genuine people looking to adopt a war orphan. These children were taken to Foundation HQ and raised to be emotionless killing machines for Konoha.

But Danzo knew he couldn't just make every child disappear into his organization, eventually someone would get suspicious. That's when he came up with a master stroke idea.

He continued to use his influence until every single staff member at the orphanage was either a Foundation shinobi who was too old to be useful, or was an ally of his. Then, the children that were not adopted were given a mixed education. They would attend the academy, where they would socialize and learn, but after school they would be indoctrinated in the root ideals.

The outcome was that two years after Naruto graduated, while in the middle of his training trip, the first of a new type of Foundation Shinobi graduated from the academy. Unlike the regular Foundation Shinobi, these ninja were perfectly capable of showing emotion and being social. They even had friends!

But they were still totally loyal to Danzo, and the best part was that no one suspected a connection between him and these new forces. This gave Danzo spies and minions within Konoha's main force, people that were generally assumed to be loyal to the Hokage.

The particular report Danzo was reading was from an operative of his from this program, a rookie genin whose team had been ambushed. On their third C rank mission they had a chance encounter with Orochimaru's forces, and only Danzo's genin had survived, and even then just barely.

Still, the fact of the matter was that this one genin needed a team, and there were two other genin Danzo was very interested in that just so happened to need a team as well.

 _If Daisuke-san is is able to become friends with the Yamanka and the Uzumaki that would be helpful for me._

Danzo hadn't given up on his plans to bring Naruto and Ino's future children into the foundation, and after Karin joined Konoha he had become even more interested in the Uzumaki Clan.

His agents who had monitored foreign shinobi during that fateful chunin exam where Oto and Suna had invaded had taken note of Karin's healing abilities, and Danzo had been able to put together that they were likely the result of being a pureblooded Uzumaki.

His scientists were also confident that they could replicate Orochimaru's experiments in implanting Hasirama Senju's genes into children, but with better results.

Danzo now had an entire orphanage full of children, no kidnapping required. He still had the 1st Hokage's DNA, but now he also wanted to use Karin's, after all her Kekkai Genkai would be useful to him, and given that she seemed to be the last Uzumaki Pure Blood, her abilities would likely die with her.

 _Yes, putting Daisuke-san on their team will work well for me. Now who should I nominate to be this team's sensei. It can't be a random jonin. The daughter of one clan head and future wife of another is on this team, the Shinobi Clans will require someone prestigious….That gives me an idea._

Danzo sat back and smiled as he motioned for his attendants to summon his genin agent, and pull the files he had on Ino and Karin. This was a plan with almost no risk, and potentially great reward, his favorite kind of plan.

 _-October 9th,_ 11:30pm _-_

Under the cover of a genjutsu two figures, both disguised by a Henge, snuck out of the apartment Naruto and Karin shared. They were met by an ANBU, who acknowledged them and stayed behind to watch said apartment while the other two figures headed towards the Clan Quarter.

The streets were almost entirely deserted, but the figures still kept to the roof tops and maintained a quick pace. They didn't even stop to admire the city center, which had been decked out in preparation for the next day's festival.

They only stopped very briefly outside the Yamanaka Compound, where another figure, also under a Henge, met them before the stealthy trio continued on.

Even at the speed they were moving, Konoha took a while to traverse, and it was after midnight when the trio reached the Uzumaki Estate, on the distant outer edge of the Clan Quarter.

Even more ANBU awaited them, and acknowledged them with a silent greeting. The ANBU continued their vigil over the construction site as the trio of shadowy persons slipped passed them and made a beeline for a remote corner of the estate.

It wasn't until the three were inside the Uzumaki Library that they dropped their Henges. Karin went to place seals on the entrance to the temple, they had been very careful, but just incase someone did find them the seals would keep anyone other than the three of them out.

Ino went over to a corner and began unsealing things from a storage scroll she had. Food (2 days worth just to be safe), some games, and much to Naruto's surprise, a cake, some wrapped gifts, and several envelopes that appeared to contain birthday cards.

Just because Naruto wanted to hide didn't mean that Ino was going to ignore the fact that the boy she loved was now officially 16.

Naruto tried to find something to do, both to be helpful, and to try to ease his ever growing anxiety, but his clanswoman and his betrothed had it covered, and he found there was nothing he could do. His fears and anxiety based on his childhood traumas were slowly taking over, a panic attack or mental breakdown was imminent.

When the girls were finished Karin went off to coordinate the vigil the ANBU were keeping over the Uzumaki Estate and the apartment in one of Konoha's less than reputable neighborhoods.

She was prepared to not sleep for over 24 hours, nothing would threaten her Clan Head on her watch. Naruto had given her a home, a family, and a sense of pride at being an Uzumaki. The least she could do was pull a couple all nighters to make sure no one messed with him or his stuff.

By this point in time Ino had spent so much time learning about her future Clan in this library that she knew just about every nook and cranny of the room, and without looking she flicked a lever on the couch, revealing that it was in fact a hide-a-bed.

She laid down on the mattress that came from within the couch and pulled the blankets she had unsealed from her scroll partially over her, before trying to get Naruto to join her.

His response almost broke her heart. Naruto was so nervous about the fact that it was his birthday that he was stuttering, and his voice was barely above a whisper. His whole posture and body language was that of a terrified animal trying desperately to hide from a predator.

"N-N-n-no t-t-t-thanks, I-Ino-ch-ch-ch-chan. I-I'm n-not go-going to b-be a-a-able to s-sleep." He was stuttering worse than Hinata. Ino didn't even think that was possible.

Ino got up and made her way to the corner Naruto was trying to wedge himself into. His body instinctively flinched away from her for a second, something that was again heartbreaking for the girl, but after a couple seconds he seemed to remember who she was and allowed her to hold him in her arms.

"Naruto-kun," she started, her voice as soft and soothing as she could make it. "Even if someone found out where you were, they'd have to make it past two entire squads of ANBU, seals that not only prevent someone from entering the temple, but also from burning or destroying it, and then get into a room that only blood Uzumaki and people coded into the door can access. Karin checked the door on the way out and the only non-Uzumaki whose chakra has been authorized are your father and I. Now come on, we need to sleep."

She pulled him over to the mattress, but he still seemed hesitant. "If anything just lie there while I fall asleep, please?" she asked. He relented, and joined her under the blankets, though only to hide himself beneath them.

Ino mentally swore an oath that she would never allow Naruto to be like this again. If any villager tried something on his birthday in the future she'd kill that person and deal with the consequences later. It was truly soul crushing to seem him in such a state.

Nothing adult happened that night, as the Uzumaki-Yamanaka contract explicitly forbid such things until the two of them were married, and even if it hadn't, Naruto certainly wasn't in the mood. That being said it was the first time since Naruto was 4 that he actually got some sleep on his birthday.

Ino had wrapped her arms around him as soon as the blankets were over them, and he felt safe and loved, and after some time lying there he forgot his anxiety and fear just long enough for his body to realize how tired it was, so he drifted off shortly before Ino did.

 _-Uzumaki Library, October 10th, 9am-_

The newly 16 year old Naruto Uzumaki awoke to the smell of Ramen, and the glorious sight of a hot bowl of his beloved noodles sitting next to him. He was immediately up and devouring the stuff.

As much as Ino didn't like how much he ate ramen, and was planning on forcing him to cut down on his consumption of it once they were married, she wasn't going to deny it to him on his birthday.

Especially since Karin had personally gone to pick it up from Ichiraku, and had dropped it off and returned to her vigil just moments before Naruto awoke.

Step one of Ino and Karin's plan to get Naruto to not hate his birthday so much: 'Start off his day in a positive way with his favorite food' complete.

For the next several hours the couple busied themselves with training and reading. Uzumaki Taijutsu in one of the temple's large, empty rooms. Working through which ever Uzmaki Fuinjutsu scroll, treatise, or text they were on. More books on the history and culture of the clan and Uzu. Anything they could do to keep Naruto's mind off of his birthday and the festival.

Karin again delivered Ichiraku for lunch, this time with an additional birthday card from Teuchi and Ayame to add to the small pile of cards and gifts Ino had brought with her. Karin also pulled 'Ino-sama' aside and told her that she had confirmed everyone was willing to participate in another part of their plan: Boycott the festival.

They were starting off small, just people who were friends with Naruto. The Ichirakus, the Konoha 12 and their Sensei, Naruto's future in-laws, people like that. Ino wasn't going to tell Naruto of this plan, but she hoped that eventually the boycott would grow so big that all the clans would join in, and perhaps at some point, all the shinobi.

After lunch Ino convinced Naruto to take a nap, and the two of them lay back down on the hide-a-bed for a couple of hours. They were exhausted from training, and again despite the fact that Naruto protested that he didn't sleep on his birthday, he quickly nodded off. Ino wasn't too far behind him.

Ino awoke and looked at the clock to see that it was approaching dinner time. It was now time for the most important phase of the plan to try to make Naruto more receptive to his birthday in the future: The celebration.

She quickly used her clan's techniques to check in with Karin. No movement against any Uzumaki property yet, but according to reports they had read from when Naruto was a kid, the attacks didn't usually happen until night, when the people were more likely to be drunk.

Dispatching the red-head to Ichiraku for the third time that day, it was Naruto's birthday after all, Ino stepped into the bathroom. Several months before Naruto had embarrassed Ino, albeit unintentionally, by walking out of his bedroom in only boxers while she was in the apartment, and her reaction had given him reason to tease her with 'ero-Ino' for some time.

Now it was time for revenge. She was still going to be fully dressed, but the outfit she had planned was going to show a lot of skin, and she knew she'd be able to tease him right back with 'ero-baka,' or something like that.

Naruto was still asleep when she stepped out in a skin tight, low cut top, a very short skirt, and heels. So she set about getting the gifts ready.

 _-Shortly thereafter-_

When Naruto awoke he thought he had to be dreaming. There were several bowls of Ichiraku on the table and Ino was dressed in….well, suffice to say Naruto was unable to take his eyes off of her, or put together a coherent thought or complete sentence for several minutes.

Only Ino warning him that the ramen was getting cold snapped him out of his trance like state, causing him to notice the puddle of drool that had been developing beneath him.

Ino could only laugh as he inhaled his ramen, nose still bleeding from seeing her. She had her revenge. She found it so funny that she even snapped of photo of Naruto stuffing his face while staring at her, a steady stream of blood coming from his nose. One for the photo album.

Ino finished her one bowl when Naruto was about half way through the 20 that Karin had brought for him, and with her fun over, went back to the bathroom and changed into her usual attire.

Naruto genuinely enjoyed his little birthday celebration. Cards and gifts from not only his friends in Konoha, but around the world as well. Inari and the rest of his friends from Wave, Garra and his siblings, the priestess of the Land of Demons, and etc.

Ino however had been pretty upset to see that the Daimyo of the Land of Spring had sent two cards, one for each of them.

The card for Naruto included some pictures of a scantily clad Daimyo, which the Yamanaka had quickly confiscated. Ino's card included a blank check and an offer of a role in every future Princess Gale movie if Ino would allow Naruto to carry on an affair with the famous actress turned ruler. The offer was quite generous, but Ino was not amused.

Naruto had taken a moment to chuckle at his fiance's jealousy, before using his charm, a few soft words, and a deep kiss to dismiss her concerns.

Naruto received some pretty nice gifts, but his unquestioned favorite was a book of "Date night at Ichiraku instead of whatever Ino wants to do" coupons. It wasn't anywhere near as extravagant as what Naruto had gotten Ino, but the thought and emotion that went into it meant more to Naruto than all the fancy gifts in the world.

When the gifts were done he simply cuddled with Ino until he fell asleep for the night, for the first time feeling totally safe on his birthday, knowing in his heart that nothing would happen to him as long as he was in her arms.

About a half hour later Ino passed out as well, with the same feeling of being completely safe as long as she was in his.

That night the festival ended with a surprise appearance from the Hokage herself, leading 20 people in chains up on to a stage. These were people who had been caught trying to damage either Naruto's apartment or the Uzumaki Estate, and ranting about wanting to kill the 'demon fox'.

From the nearby rooftops Karin couldn't help but grin as she took in the horrified expressions on the faces of the civilians enjoying the festival, as Tsunade announced the crimes and then personally executed each of the 20 people on the spot. 18 civilians and two shinobi. The message was quite clear: Now that he was a Clan Head, Konoha would no longer tolerate attempts on the life of their jinchuuriki.

- _A Few Days Later, Konoha Council Chambers-_

Naruto sat in his seat taking a minute to admire his own attire as yet another civilian spoke at great length about some business that he wasn't particularly interested in, and ranted about the Hokage's actions on the evening of the festival.

The elegant black Kimono that he wore had been another birthday gift from Ino. On the back of the kimono the Uzumaki Crest was proudly displayed in a dark orange. He of course had other kimonos, but they were not anywhere near the quality of this one, this was an outfit truly fit for a clan head.

His debut appearance in the kimono had started off incredibly contentious. The civilian councilors had demanded reprisals against the Hokage for her actions at the festival, arguing that the executions should have been signed off on by the council. However, with the support of the Clan Heads, who viewed Naruto as a person rather than a weapon or demo, and the Elders, who didn't want to risk killing a jinchuuriki and thereby weakening Konoha, Tsunade got away with the public executions.

Naruto couldn't help but be pleased with the show of support for the Hokage, and by extension support for punishing any further mistreatment of him. _If only I had been publicly affiliated with the Uzumaki Clan sooner_ he thought, _maybe then I could have actually enjoyed a few other birthdays._

His attention was drawn back to the meeting when the Hokage asked if there was any other business that needed to be attended too. Naruto did have some, though he didn't enjoy the fact that this was technically council business.

Even if Naruto was still upset with Tsunade about withholding his father's identity, he owed her for her actions on the day of the festival, and he thought that the business he had should technically fall under her direct authority, not the council's.

He cleared his throat, drawing eyes to him, and when Tsunade motioned for him to proceed, he spoke. "I'd like to request the formation of an additional genin team. I believe my clanswoman, Karin Uzumaki, is ready to participate in next month's chunin exams, but as she was never assigned a team a special one needs to be created, hence why I bring it up here and not directly with you, Hokage-sama."

Though she usually ran possible teams past the Clan Heads for their opinion, The Hokage could form genin teams without the consent of the council for new academy graduates only. Other than that technically council approval was needed. One of the areas 'delegated' to the council in the aftermath of the 9 Tails attack, when several special teams had to be created due to the casualties.

Naruto couldn't suggest Ino as well, since she wasn't technically part of his clan yet, but luckily he didn't need to.

"I'd like to offer my daughter for this team, since her original teammates have already been promoted. I believe Sarutobi-dono can vouch that she's ready" Inoichi stated, earning a nod of agreement from Asuma. He couldn't technically just come out and say "Ino needs to get promoted so she can get married" but everyone in the room knew that was what he meant.

"You're still one short." a civilian pointed out.

One of the elders, Koharu, spoke next. "I believe we recently had a team where 2 of the genin and the jonin sensei all perished after a run in with Orochimaru's forces. Perhaps the surviving genin could be the third, that is if he is in any shape to participate in the exams."

Tsunadae looked over to Koharu, unsurprised that the woman had this information. "Daisuke-san was released from the hospital last week and should have resumed training by now. With his sensei dead he'd be in limbo until another team was created, or we had an unusual number of academy graduates, so I suppose this could work."

"Karin Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, and Daisuke Kazahana, a full team of genin, but who shall lead this unit?" Shibi Aburame spoke. "Given that the daughter of a Clan Head shall be on the team, along with one of the last members of another clan, it is imperative that a good jonin be provided."

It was a well known, if unspoken 'secret' that the children of high ranking members of the clans got the best sensei. One only needed to look at Naruto and Ino's graduating class to see examples of favoritism towards the clans. Of the 8 children of Clan Heads, six were on teams with only the children of other clan heads, Teams 8 and 10. They had received one of the best teachers in Kurenai, and the Hokage's own son, Asuma, as their sensei.

Only Sasuke and Naruto, both also the children of clan heads, had been left out of this, but even then they had been paired with the daughter of one of the civilian councilors. And their sensei had not only been the only person capable of helping Sasuke with the Sharingan, but the student of Naruto's father.

All the civilians except Sakura, and the lesser ranking clan members in their graduating class, had been given far less motivated or talented jonin to lead their teams, perhaps why none of the civilians except Sakura, who was now part of the Uchiha Clan, were still shinobi.

"I believe I have an intriguing thought on this matter." Danzo spoke, earning raised eyebrows from some people at the table, and suspicious looks from Inoichi and Naruto, who didn't like the idea of Danzo taking an interest in Ino's promotion. If only they knew just how much he had been involved.

"I would like to suggest that an experienced jonin-sensei take the lead on training the team, while an up and coming young jonin participate as well in order to learn, then the younger jonin would be the actual team leader for the chunin exams in order to gain experience for when he is given his own true genin team."

"Given your use of 'he' I assume you have people in mind for these roles? Or are you saying that Kunoichi are incapable of being jonin-sensei Shimura-dono?" Naruto asked.

"The first one" Danzo responded, choosing to ignore the veiled accusation of sexism. "I suggest our own Asuma Sarutobi lead the training, with Sasuke Uchiha acting as the actual team leader."

Most of the shinobi at the table looked surprised, as what Danzo suggested was highly unorthodox, but there was a certain logic to it. Asuma had a baby at home, and couldn't really help with the actual exams, but could certainly spare a couple hours a day to help Sasuke put the genin through teamwork exercises.

In her seat as Naruto's assistant for the meeting, Karin's mouth was gaping. The boy she had once been obsessed with was now going to be her sensei? True after she had arrived in Konoha and found out he would be married in a month she had quickly gotten over her crush, but still, of all the jonin...

Sasuke showed no reaction, having already been aware of what Danzo was planning, and having already even met with Daisuke. Being Danzo's chosen successor had its perks.

"I would welcome the chance to supervise this team for the exams, and would appreciate the chance to learn from a proven and experienced jonin sensei such as Sarutobi-dono." He said, saying all the right things in an even tempered, neutral tone.

Asuma was fine with the arrangement as well. "I suppose I could help out, after all Ino was my student to begin with, it would be nice to help her finally join her teammates as chunin."

"Uzumaki-dono, Yamanaka-dono, is this arrangement fine with you?" Koharu again.

Inoichi said nothing, wanting to see Naruto's reaction first. Naruto just stared at Sasuke.

The Uchiha met his gaze, and to everyone else it seemed that the two were having a silent conversation as they stared at each other, but that wasn't actually the case.

Finally, Naruto spoke, "As you know, Uchiha-dono was my own genin teammate. There are very few people in this world that I trust more than him. I have no problem trusting my clanswoman to his guidance, especially with such a well respected sensei as Sarutobi-dono being involved as well."

Seeing Naruto's agreement, and knowing that that meant he approved of Sasuke not just for Karin, but Ino as well, Inoichi also voiced his consent, and Tsume motioned to vote on it. The motion easily passed, and Sasuke Uchiha suddenly found himself a jonin sensei.

After the council meeting ended Sasuke made his way out of the Hokage tower and back towards the Uchiha compound, but before he got very far he heard a familiar voice call out "teme!"

Knowing what was probably about to happen, he stopped and turned around to find Naruto sprinting towards him. A smile broke out on his face as his old friend approached "What do you want, dobe?"

Naruto returned the smile when he got to his teammate "Let's go get lunch, my treat." Within minutes Naruto had dragged Sasuke to Ichiraku, and the two sat down to eat.

No matter how many times Sasuke saw Naruto eat ramen it always left him with a feeling of both disgust and awe. Sometimes he swore that Naruto never actually touched the bowl, and simply breathed in fast enough that he sucked the broth straight to his mouth.

About half way through the meal their light conversation ceased and for a moment Naruto sat still. After the brief pause Sasuke had to strain to be able to hear Naruto, who in an uncharacteristically soft voice said "you take care of my girls, Sasuke." "What?" the Uchiha asked, having not fully heard Naurto.

"You take good care of Ino-chan and Karin-chan, Sasuke. You better not let anything happen to them." Naruto responded, still relatively soft in volume, but loud enough for Sasuke to hear.

"Hn, it's the chunin exams, Naruto. There's always some risk, and you know I can't promise you anything."

Naruto sighed, knowing Sasuke was right. "I love Ino-chan with all my heart, and she keeps me sane sometimes. Karin-chan's been a huge help with getting the clan set up. She's family. If anything happens to them I'd…." His voice trailed off, not wanting to think about what he would actually do if something happened to one or both of them.

Sasuke got the message. "I'll do my best to make sure they come home to you, Naruto."

- _The Next Day,_ _Training ground 29_ -

Sasuke and Asuma stood in front of the newly formed Team Sasuke. The team's namesake spoke first, getting down to business. "All right team, Asuma-sensei is here to help make sure you are a cohesive unit, so when he's here treat him as if he's the team leader. We'll only have him for a couple hours a day, so I want to take advantage of his experience when he's here."

With that Sasuke yielded to Asuma, who immediately set out on a familiar exercise. "Ok, Happy to be here to help, this is especially nostalgic for me since Ino was originally my student. That being said I don't really know the other two of you, so let's all introduce ourselves first. Name, likes, dislikes, and goals. I'll go first. Asuma Sarutobi, head of the Sarutobi Clan. I love my wife and daughter, and my goal is to see my daughter succeed me as Clan Head. I dislike restaurants that forbid smoking."

Sasuke went second. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, head of the Uchiha Clan. My likes, other than my wife and my other two teammates are irrelevant, as are my dislikes. My goals are to avenge and rebuild my clan."

Ino went third. "Ino Yamanaka, soon to be Ino Uzumaki. My likes are Naruto-kun, My family, flowers, shopping, gossip, and my Team 10 family." She couldn't help but smile at her old sensei at the end of that sentence.

"My dislikes are people who disrespect or try to hurt my fiance, and people who discriminate against the Uzumaki Clan. My goal is to become the Uzumaki Clan Matriarch and help Naruto-kun rebuild." Asuma couldn't help but think back on the little blond fan-girl who had once proclaimed her one like as 'Sasuke-kun' and her dislikes as 'Forehead and Naruto-baka.' _Ino's really grown up._

Karin stood to address the group next. "I am Karin Uzumaki. I like my clan, research, and science. I dislike the Grass village and manipulative snakes. My goal is to do my part in rebuilding my clan."

Finally, the rookie genin who was mostly unknown to the others stood up. He had already had a full briefing with Danzo on his objectives, and a long conversation with Sasuke, who only knew some of his objectives. Now this genin had to begin his mission by gaining his two kunoichi teammates' trust.

"Hello everyone, I am Daisuke Kazahana, and it is a pleasure to meet you. Unlike all of you I have no clan, I'm just a war orphan. I enjoy any and all noodle dishes, but especially Yakisoba. I dislike Tofu and bad puns. As for my goals, I guess you could say I'm still figuring that part out."

Not all of what he said was a lie. Like all the kids Danzo had sent through the academy he did have some personality, and his likes and dislikes were 100% true. His only lie came with his goals. Personality of his own or not, as Danzo's tool he had no true goals of his own, he only wished to complete whatever assignments he was given by his master.

As far as Sasuke knew the boy's mission had just two parts. The first was to gain the two girls' trust, and the second was to make sure Ino became a chunin, what happened to Karin and him was irrelevant. Ino needed to get married so that the next generation of Uzumaki could come, making Konoha stronger, but in order for that to happen, she needed the promotion.

Sasuke also knew that, like most of Danzo's academy trained Foundation members, the boy was holding back considerably. The skill level he projected was that of high genin or low chunin, but in actuality he was high chunin.

However, even though Danzo viewed Sasuke as his successor, Danzo had ordered Daisuke to withhold his final mission objective from Sasuke. The Uchiha and the Uzumaki were close, and Danzo couldn't be certain that Sasuke would agree with his third objective, given the implications it held for the Uzumaki Clan, so for now Daisuke kept his final objective a closely guarded secret.

Sasuke still wasn't totally sure what to make of the boy, less than 5 years his junior, but Danzo had put him on this team for a reason, and Sasuke trusted Danzo.

With introductions out of the way, Asuma set the three genin on a training regimen, talking 'Sasuke-sensei,' as only Daisuke called him, through the various team building exercises that needed to happen. There was less than a month until the chunin exams, and both Danzo and Naruto were counting on Sasuke to have this team ready, rookie sensei or not. No pressure.

-End Chapter-

* * *

We are past both the 50 Follower and 50 Favorite marks for this story, thank you for your support.

The first part of this chapter was obviously kinda filler-esque, but we'll dive into Ino's (and Karin's) attempt to become a chunin starting next time.

Yes, I'm aware I didn't say what Daisuke's third objective was. You'll find out later.

Thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


	12. Chapter 12

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

- _The First Day of the Chunin Exams_ -

Ino and Karin made their way toward the academy, where the first exam was going to be held. As they rounded the corner onto the street their destination was on, they ran into their third teammate, and the trio headed down the final stretch to their destination.

Unlike the year Ino had previously taken the exam, it seemed that the entire academy was to be used for the first round. Non competitors weren't even allowed to set foot on academy grounds. So as Team Sasuke approached the gates, they saw a small group of people waiting for them nearby.

Sasuke, Asuma, Naruto, Sakura, Inoichi, Ino's mother, Choji, and even Kurenai, holding baby Mirai of course, were all waiting for them, most of them were there for Ino. Shikamaru would have been there as well, but Tsunade and Gaara had made a habit of assigning him and Temari the overall command for the chunin exams, this would be their third time as co-heads of the exam. He didn't want to risk the potential accusations of conflict of interest or favoratism.

Sasuke and Asuma were technically there for all three members of the team, and Naruto had wanted to wish his clanswoman good luck as well. Sakura and Karin were also friendly with each other, but Ino was far closer to the Uchiha matriarch than Karin.

Kurenai, the Yamanakas, and Choji had no connections to anyone but Ino. Still, everyone made a show of wishing all three of them luck.

After getting her well wishes from everyone else, Ino turned to Naruto. Even though she knew the it wasn't actually coming from him, she felt a great deal of pressure to do well; if she failed, it would set the Uzumaki Clan back.

She looked at him, full of determination to make him proud of her. "Naruto-kun. I promise I'll do my best to pass so we can get married, I don't want to be a burden to the Uzumaki Clan."

Ino was already in love with him, but Naruto's reaction to her statement made her fall in love with him all over again.

He gave her one of the biggest and warmest smiles she had ever seen, holding her in his arms and softly whispering, "You could never be a burden to me or the clan, Ino-chan. Besides, I have complete faith in you. I already reserved a wedding date with the Hokage. On the one year anniversary of our betrothal, you will officially join the Uzumaki Clan as my bride."

His voice radiated with earnestness and sincerity. He really had complete confidence that in a little over three months time they would be married, something that could only happen if she passed these exams, since the next round wasn't for six months.

Not wanting to cause a scene, the young couple separated with a simple and quick good luck kiss, and after some final words of advice from Asuma, and Sasuke's trademark grunt "Hn." Ino, Karin, and Daisuke headed into the academy grounds.

After his words, Ino still full of lust towards her fiance. It had taken all of her restraint not to do something that they were contractually forbidden from doing after he had spoken. As she approached the check-in station, she quickly banished thoughts of Naruto from her mind. She needed to focus.

Kotetsu and Izumo were behind the desk, dividing each team into three. Ino was directed to the court yard, Daisuke to a classroom, and Karin to a training field attached to the academy.

Each one had a few minutes to contemplate what would happen before the exams began.

 _-With Ino-_

Ino Yamanaka was doing her best to psyche herself up. _You can do this Ino. Daddy finally has confidence in you again, Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei believe in you, and Naruto-kun's counting on you!_

Her inner monologue was interrupted as a smoke bomb was thrown into the center of the courtyard. From within the smoke, a familiar voice called out "Congratulations on entering these chunin exams, I look forward to your displays of youthful passion!"

Ino recognized the voice, and her confidence plummeted. _Oh no...he's the examiner?_ _This is going to be difficult._ The smoke cleared to reveal the first proctor, the Chunin taijutsu specialist Rock Lee, self proclaimed "Handsome Devil" of Konoha.

His ridiculous appearance: a bowl cut, massive eyebrows, and dark green spandex jumpsuit caused chuckles amongst those shinobi who had never seen him before, especially the genin from other villages. But for those who knew him, or of him, all they felt was fear. If their exam was anything like Lee's sensei's training, or used any of his self imposed rules, they were in for a long morning.

"Greetings." He spoke "My name is Rock Lee, and it is my pleasure to be one of three head proctors for the first exam. As I said, I hope you all put on a display of youthful energy in your quest to achieve your youthful goals." Completely oblivious to the incredulous expressions on the faces of many genin, he continued.

"This first exam has three components, each with a different youthful proctor. Your youthful teams will be tested in each area individually, and the scores will be combined..." By the time he finished speaking Ino wanted to gag, the amount of times he said youth or youthful was just sickening.

- _With Karin-_

"Your individual scores will be added up, and only the top 50% of total scores will pass." Karin was nervous, it was pretty clear what her test was going to be. The training field was set up as a target range, and her proctor was a Tobuketsu Jonin known for proficiency with projectiles, The Hokage's younger daughter, Tenten Senju.

This would be target practice, an area Karin was decent, but not great, in.

- _With Daisuke-_

"In addition to your own score being in the top 50% of total scores, the scores of each of your teammates must be in the top half in order for you to advance. In other words, not only must you be in the top half of each event in order to pass, but both of your teammates must be as well if you want to advance. Your team has 9 total scores, and if even one of them is below the 50th percentile, all of you fail."

Daisuke showed no emotion as his proctor explained the rules. He knew of Neji Hyuga by reputation. The Hyuga Branch Clan's greatest prodigy, according to rumor, skipped the rank of chunin all together, having earned a promotion from genin directly to full jonin. Not the type of person to be taken lightly.

- _With Ino-_

As Lee continued to explain things, Ino had used her clan jutsu and established a mental link with her teammates, exchanging information. " _The way this is set up at minimum half the teams will be eliminated, more likely far more than half, since all three team members have to be in the top half of competitors in each event._ " she commented to her teammates, who telepathically voiced their agreement.

Thanks to one final push of training from Fu, and a seal Karin had placed on the three of them, Ino's jutsu finally allowed others to converse with her mentally, though it still required Karin's Fuinjutsu to fully work. Fu insisted that his cousin was very close to straight up mastering the technique, but for now the Fuinjutsu allowed her to use it to its full capabilities during the exams.

Lee's exam was just a taijutsu spar. No ninjutsu, no Genjutsu, no weapons. You could challenge someone, or have a random opponent. Win and you received a passing score, loose and you would fail the exam, causing your team to be eliminated.

He had earned several gasps when he explained how through hard work he had become a chunin despite his severely underdeveloped chakra coils, inability to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, and supposedly career ending injury. Some genin had actually fainted when he dropped his weights, earning them remarks of "most unyouthful," as the chunin with endowed eyebrows failed them on the spot.

Tenten's exam seemed fairly straight forward. You had 10 Kunai and a target range. Bulls-eyes were worth 10 points, targets in the back were worth more than targets in the front, and etc. Tenten had also promised some surprises, but hadn't given any specifics. Karin was glad she wasn't going first, she wouldn't know what to plan for until after seeing a couple people take the test.

Neji seemed to be giving the same exam that Ibiki had given in Ino's previous attempt at the Chunin Exam, a written exam with the point of cheating. The problem was that all of the proctors were Hyuga, and had Byakugan active. Getting caught was inevitable. Unlike Ibiki's exam, where getting caught the multiple times and still passing was possible, in Neji's exam the hopefuls would be failed upon just their second infraction.

Having gone over the basic outline of each exam and what was required of them, Ino severed the mental link with her teammates, in order to conserve her chakra. They'd touch base again when the groups rotated to brief each other on any surprises.

- _With Karin-_

A young girl from the Waterfall village was the first contestant in the firing range, she started off well, hitting bullseye on her first two throws, but after that is when things started to go bad for her.

At the last possible second before a kunai connected, the target moved, causing her to miss completely. She recomposed herself and took aim, carefully studying the pattern of movement before throwing again, nailing bullseye. Still, she wasted a kunai. In a test where each contestant was limited to 10 throws, getting a 0 on one of them was a major blow.

Her next throw was even worse. After she fired, a cardboard cutout of a civilian popped up right in the line of fire, taking the Kunai in the chest.

"Friendly fire incident, Number 209's total points will be reduced by half. Future friendly fire incidents will continue to divide the remaining score in half!" Tenten called out. "Always be aware of your surroundings when handling weapons."

All 100 of the exam takers in Karin's group found their jaws on the floor, the penalty was steep, and there was no way to tell when a civilian or allied target would pop up, at least they thought there wasn't.

- _With Daisuke-_

Though both his missions for The Foundation were viewed as vital, Daisuke's primary mission, and the only one he could focus on right now, was to make sure Ino became a chunin. The sooner she was promoted, the sooner Danzo could try to get some Uzumaki children into the Foundation.

As such, Danzo had outfitted his agent with a number of metaphorical aces up his sleeve. One of those had been the answer key to this exam. How Danzo got his hands on it was beyond Daisuke, but he had been given it by a Foundation Shinobi the night before and told to memorize it.

He had no need to cheat, meaning he would avoid deductions and recieve a perfect score. Thanks to Ino's jutsu he'd also be able to help Karin and Ino through this portion of the exam without them having to cheat either. All according to plan.

- _With Ino-_

Of the 50 fights that were scheduled between the 100 genin in Ino's group, 20 had already happened as Ino sat and watched, recovering the chakra she had used for her telepathy jutsu. It wasn't a huge strain on her because the seals did a good portion of the work, but she still wanted to be at full force for her fight. If she didn't win she'd fail the exams, simple as that.

Five fights were happening at the same time, as Lee had several assistant proctors, and each of the chunin were referreing a fight. Otherwise the exam would have taken all day. As a fight between two Konoha genin, apparently rivals, ended, Lee called out to the contestants.

"Anyone else wish to issue a youthful challenge before we begin random matches?" A Suna genin stepped forward and glared straight at Ino. "That girl looks older than a lot of us, she must really suck if she isn't already a chunin. I challenge her."

Lee looked at the number the boy wore and then checked a sheet with the list of contestants.

"Komatatsu Taneda of Suna has challenged Ino Yamanaka of Konoha. Will the two contestants please step forward."

Ino grinned as she entered the ring. Her opponent looked to be a cocky, 12 year old rookie genin. He was underestimating her. "There was a time where I did suck, but if you think I'm some sort of easy victory you're going to be sorely disappointed," she responded to her opponent's earlier insult. With the two contestants ready, Lee began the fight.

While no Taijutsu specialist, Ino was proficient in three different styles. The Konoha Academy Style was well balanced, but fairly simple. The Yamanka Style focused on defense and evasion, but relied on having a teammate, and was based on buying time until that teammate could come help out. A legacy of the Ino-Shika-Cho. The Yamanaka were better as support Ninja than as front line fighters, and their style reflected that.

The Uzumaki Style was almost the exact opposite of the Yamanaka Style. It was fast and aggressive, but it did leave the user's defenses open sometimes, and Ino was hesitant to use it. While proficient, of the three styles it was the one that she was least comfortable with. Also, she wanted to keep it as a hidden weapon, and was not planning on using it until the finals unless absolutely necessary.

Ino started the fight in the Yamanaka Style. Blocking and dodging most of her enemy's attacks, occasionally throwing out a jab or kick to make her opponent put some distance between them. In a normal fight that distance would allow her to fire off a quick ninjutsu, but in a taijutsu only spar it was ineffective.

Still, it allowed her to study her enemy. Her opponent was a brute. He was very strong and powerful, and he seemed to be able to take a punch pretty well, but he was slow. It also took a lot of effort for him to deliver one of his powerful strikes.

His style seemed to be predicated on hitting an enemy early and dealing major damage. The weakness was that he wore out pretty quickly, and against an opponent using a defensive style, evading his strikes for a prolonged period of time, his style was a poor match up.

Ino simply waited until he started to slow down, then she made a quick switch to the academy style and made her move. Her enemy, after several minutes of throwing all his power into his fists, had little left to give, and Ino quickly overwhelmed him. Within a matter of moments he had fallen to the floor, exhausted.

"The winner is Ino Yamanaka of Konoha!" Lee cried out before flashing his impression of Gai's smile and offering a thumbs up to his fellow 'Konoha 12' Shinobi, causing Ino to shudder. Lee was enthusiastic and kind, but was unintentionally even creepier than Shino. At least the stoic Aburame heir was aware that some people were unnerved by him, Lee was just oblivious.

-With Karin-

"Number 172, you're next!" Tenten called out a seemingly random number, and Karin did a double take when she remembered that 172 was her number.

About 2/3rds of her group had already gone through their test, and many of them had been the victim of a friendly fire penalty. A small number of contestants, who apparently had similar skill sets to their proctor, had used wires or chakra threads to control their kunai mid flight, but that took a lot of practice to be able to master, these genin were clearly weapons specialists. Someone like Karin couldn't just make that work on the fly.

She stepped up to the firing range and closed her eyes as she took a deep, cleansing breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. However, said nerves were getting the better of her, and she accidentally activated her sensory ability. Immediately she detected a number of chakra signatures in the firing range.

 _Wait a minute, Tenten must have been going for realism, since all these targets would be enemies or civilians in real life they all have chakra signatures! The dark ones are the targets, and the softer signatures are likely the civilians and friendlies. I can do this._

She focused. A dark signature peaked, that target was going to move when she threw. A light one also spiked, telling Karin that a different target was going to have a civilian pop up in front of it.

She took a deep breath again, and focused on a different target. She let out a small prayer and let the kunai fly. As she predicted, one target moved and another had a civilian pop up, but the target she had aimed at did nothing. Bullseye!

 _1 down and 9 to go! I can do this!_

- _The Tower in the Forest of Death, AKA Chunin Exam Central Command-_

In a room full of CCTV monitors, the two exam coordinators, Shikamaru Nara of Konoha, and Temari of Suna, watched the proceedings. In another room next door the head proctors of the other two exams, as well as their support staff and assistant proctors were also watching the CCTV feed.

"Looks like Ino won her fight." Temari commented. "Of course she did, it's almost as if this whole exam was set up for her, troublesome." Shikamaru responded.

Temari frowned. "Are you saying the Hokage?" Her comrade interrupted her: "If you're asking if I was ordered to, asked to, or it was implied that I should fix these exams for Ino then you're wasting your time. I wasn't."

Temari was frustrated that he interrupted her, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn't the most annoying thing the lazy Nara she secretly had feelings for had done to her. "Then how was it set up for her?"

"Troublesome. For one, look at her team. Her future Clanswoman is a teammate, people from the same clan are never allowed on the same team. Their third teammate seems to be a genius based on the fact that he finished the written test 2 minutes after it started, without cheating. Her 'Sensei' is her fiance's best friend and former teammate, and a clan head. Her former Sensei, also a clan head and the son of a Kage, helped train her team as well."

"So? she's the daughter of a clan head and fiance of another one, all that proves is that she is well connected." Temari responded. "As the son of a Clan Head yourself you should know how much easier things are for the children of clan heads than for their peers."

"I'm aware, and I'm certainly thankful for it, life would have been even more troublesome if I weren't" The Nara heir responded, "but I don't think favoritism towards the ninja nobility is all that is going on here." Temari gave him a look that said "what else" so he sighed and muttered something about women before he continued to explain his reasoning.

"Then look at the examiners. Everyone involved in the planning of these exams has some connection to her or Naruto. All the head proctors are either members of, or have a very tangible connection to, the Konoha 12. I'm her former teammate, and for all intensive purposes she and I are siblings. You are the sister of someone who considers Ino's fiance their best friend, and you openly admit Naruto saved your brother's life. Said brother is also the Kazekage, while the Hokage views Naruto as a grandson. We all have some reason to want Ino to do well."

"Are you saying you are bias, or accusing any of the rest of us of favoring her?" Temari agreed he had a point, she certainly was rooting for Ino, but she was growing angry at the insinuation that she was blatantly favoring the girl. "No, but all of us individually want her to do well, and if we all secretly pull for her..." Shikamaru's implication was clear. "It's troublesome, but while I don't think the Hokage and Kazekage rigged this for Ino, I think they knew what they were doing when they appointed the exam coordinators and head proctors."

The two sat and watched the monitors for several minutes, Shikamaru craving the silence, and Temari reflecting on his words. Later, as the 1st round was entering its third and final rotation, she noticed he had drifted off to sleep, and kicked him hard in the stomach. She so enjoyed torturing him.

- _The Exams-_

Ino had won her fight, and thanks to their telepathic debriefing had known to use her sensory abilities in the Kunai exam, now it was on to the written test. Daisuke was telepathically coaching her, and with any luck she would finish before he was called to his own Kunai test, having won his fight easily in the second rotation.

Karin was now waiting for her own fight, having aced the exam. She was a researcher and a scientist, a truly intelligent person, and she was proud that she only had to call on Daisuke for help on one question. However, Taijutsu was easily her worst area, and she was dreading her fight. If she lost then Ino would also be eliminated, pushing back a major celebration for her clan.

 _I will not fail Naruto-sama. I will not fail Ino-sama. I will not fail the Uzumaki Clan!_ Karin chanted mentally, psyching herself up for her upcoming bout. "Number 172...Karin Uzumaki of Konoha vs. Number 284...Mikoto Tsubokasa of Suna. Would both contestants please report for a most youthful spar!" Lee called out, having not lost any of his emotion or enthusiasm.

Karin sized up her opponent, a kunoichi even shorter than herself, hoping that her intelligence would give her some insight she could use in order to have an advantage in the fight. Unfortunately, as soon as Lee started the fight, her mind shut off and her body acted on instinct.

Karin was partially proficient in the basic taijutsu style of her old village, the Hidden Grass, but not fully, they had never really valued her as a fighter, and hadn't really pushed her to be a better ninja.

She had also been partially proficient in the Uzumaki style, but since coming to Konoha her skills with her clan style had improved, and she was almost fully proficient in it.

As per the Uzumaki style, she rushed straight ahead, throwing caution to the wind and attacking. It seemed to catch her opponent off guard, and Karin was able to get a couple of small hits in before the Suna kunoichi was able to raise her guard.

Karin jumped back to put some distance between them once her opponent's guard was up. The Uzumaki style was built on aggression and momentum. If her opponent's guard helda, Karin's own attacks would lose steam and end up leaving her vulnerable to devastating counter attacks, hence the distance to prevent that.

Before Mikoto was even able to process a possible strategy, Karin had lunged again, this time focusing all of her attacks on one side of her enemy, hoping to overwhelm her defenses. A flurry of punches and kicks came from the red head, but again her opponent's guard held, and Karin was forced to put some distance between them. That's when her mind kicked back in.

 _She's got a good defense._ Karin took a brief moment to allow her mind to analyze the situation. _She's likely far better at Taijutsu than I am, and so even with the ultra aggressive Uzumaki Style I'm not good enough to get past her. This leaves me with two options. I can bank on the fact that Uzumaki have large chakra reserves and make this a battle of attrition, or I can attempt to attack her in ways that will force her to drop her guard. But how am I going to do that without Ninja tools, weapons, or jutsu?_

Even as her mind pondered her situation, her body launched a third barrage at her opponent, this time focusing on trying to overwhelm the girl by attacking from the left, the opposite side from where her previous focused attack had been.

Her body seemed to respond to her mind, because her punches were aimed higher than they had been in previous attacks, causing Mikoto to raise her guard higher up, leaving her lower body open. Karin took advantage of this when she suddenly launched a kick directly into her opponent's right kneecap. This time it was her opponent from the Sand village that jumped back, screaming bloody murder due to the pain.

Karin immediately moved to close the new ground between her and the Sand kunoichi, not wanting to give her a moment's respite. This time her opponent stubbornly refused to bring her guard higher, and was dealt a blow to the head because of it.

Karin continued to manipulate her opponent's guard for several minutes, getting a lot of hits in. She never did enough damage to be a critical hit, but over time all the smaller hits were adding up, and her opponent's guard was noticeably weaker than at the start of the spar.

Thanks to Karin's chakra reserves, she hadn't stopped to rest for even a moment since she had decided on her strategy, constantly pressing her advantage.

Finally, it paid off. A kick knocked her foe to the ground and Karin was immediately on top of her. Mikoto was one of the few people actually smaller than Karin, and the Uzumaki had the edge in the grappling that occurred, ultimately subduing her opponent and winning her fight. As she stood, she wore a triumphant grin on her face. _Nothing will get in the way of rebuilding the Uzumaki Clan!_

With all three portions of the first exam complete, the whole group was brought back together. Of the 100 teams, approximately 60 had at least one member lose the Taijutsu round, and were automatically eliminated. The remaining 40 teams had a few minutes to themselves as Neji, Tenten, and their assistant proctors totaled up and compared their scores.

Finally, Neji took one group of teams and Tenten took another, while Lee went off to get the 2nd exam's proctor.

Ino, Karin, and Daisuke found themselves in a room with about 14 other teams, mostly from Konoha and Suna, but a few from the minor villages as well. Tenten was with them.

"You 15 teams have passed the first round, Congratulations. You've proven you have the basic combat and mental capacity we expect of chunin. Your next exam will test your team work and other abilities, but we'll wait for Neji to finish telling the others they failed and then get here before I introduce your next proctor." Tenten seemed pretty earnest in her congratulations, and specifically offered a nod and a grin to both Ino and Karin.

"Why wait? You guys are our first round proctors, your job is done." A genin voiced a question on many of the exam takers' minds.

Tenten's face lit up in a sort of sadistic smile. "Because Neji wouldn't want to miss the look on your faces when you meet your next proctor."

Eventually Neji joined them, and sported a similar grin as Tenten spoke again. "Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and I had the honor of being your head proctors for this first exam. The three of us were all genin teammates, so it's fitting that your proctor for the second exam is our sensei."

The people who were familiar with Team Gai were appalled. Ino and several others were groaning or flat out crying as Tenten and Neji looked on with glee, finally someone else would have to go through the same suffering they did when they were genin. Finally others would have to experience the sheer stupidity that was interacting with Gai or Lee on a regular basis.

"Yosh! I am pleased to see that my most youthful students did such an excellent job with the first round of exams." Yelled a taller and older version of Lee as he kicked down the door to the room. This was the dreaded Might Gai, Konoha's Green Beast.

He took a moment to look around the room and frowned before saying "Though I am displeased to see that less than a quarter of the teams were youthful enough to advance to the 2nd round. Perhaps I'll have to speak to Hokage-sama about reforming the way we train our youthful genin. Such unyouthfullness cannot be tolerated from people in the springtime of their youth."

Again, the people in the room who were familiar with Gai cringed, imagining what the regimen would be like if he was in charge of Genin training. The others just looked confused as to why this strange looking man and his smaller 'clone' were so obsessed with the word 'youth.'

"Anyways, let us discuss our next youthful exam!" Gai called out, and the scared genin began to wonder what he had in store for them. _Is he gonna make us run around the village on our hands?_ Ino wondered.

"But first, we must make our way to the starting point for your next display of youthful passion! The Forest of Death!"

- _Shikaku's Office-_

The Clan Heads and their spouses sat around a CCTV set up of their own, observing the exams. Naruto and Inoichi were beaming with pride after Ino had done so well on the first exam, and Asuma and even Sasuke also sported grins, obviously pleased with the team's strong performance.

The room had filled with cheers when Ino won her fight. Inoichi and his wife were obviously very excited for their daughter, as was Naruto. Shikaku, Yoshino, and the Akimichis all viewed Ino as a niece, and had been very excited as well.

The Sarutobi Clan's first couple, along with Shizune, were also part of the vocal cheering section for Ino. After all, Asuma and Kurenai had both trained her. Even the infant Mirai seemed to react positively when Ino won, though wether or not the victory was the reason for Miria's suddenly good mood was unknown.

Sakura was almost as loud and as vocal as Naruto, and while Sasuke wasn't one for boisterousness, it was obvious that he was pleased as well.

Only Hiashi, Tsume, Shibi, and his wife were restrained. That being said, they were still pleased. It was in the interest of all the clans to get the Uzumaki up and running.

Inoichi paused one of the tvs when it showed Ino's facial expression after realizing Gai was the second exam's proctor. The look she sported was priceless, a humorous mix of abject terror and total disgust. A camera was quickly fetched to take a picture of the screen, so that the Yamanakas and Naruto would have material to torment her with in the future.

After that, many of the clan heads got up to leave, having other business to attend to. The second exam would take a few days, and they couldn't spend hours on end watching. Naruto was chatting with his future mother-in-law and father-in-law when Tsume approached him, and asked for a moment of his time.

"I hope you'll be able to come to the Inuzuka compound tomorrow, Naruto-san. I have a proposal I would like to discuss with you, and I believe it will be very advantageous to both the Inuzuka and the Uzumaki Clans."

In truth, Naruto was slightly scared of the Inuzuka matriarch. Kiba was a good friend of his, and he was terrified of her despite the fact that she was his own mother. Naruto's mother having died on the day of his birth, he was unaware that it was not uncommon for children to have some fear of angering their parents.

Still, intimidated by her or not, Naruto would be neglecting his duties as a clan head if he didn't at least agree to meet with her, so they quickly scheduled a meeting before Tsume took her leave.

- _With Ino-_

The second exam hadn't even begun yet and Ino already wanted to murder Gai. The rules had been explained and she could tell that the next several days would be an absolute hell for her.

The exam was set up as a massive game of Capture the Flag. There were several flags hidden throughout the Forest, and each team would have to collect 3 and make it to the Tower within 72 hours in order to advance.

Teams could either find the flags, or take them from other teams, and there were only enough flags for 5 of the 15 teams to advance. While Gai had explained the rules, he had gone on a long tangent about 'youth' and youthfulness, annoying just about everyone who heard it, the sole exception being Lee, who was weeping at his Sensei's words.

Each team was taken to a different gate, and awaited a flare, which would signal that the exam had begun and that they could enter the Forest of Death. When the Flare finally went off, and one of the proctors opened their gate, Team Sasuke dashed into the Forest.

After about 20 minutes of running they found a suitable place, and put their plan into action. Karin and Daisuke flushed out several birds, and Ino took careful aim before launching her Mind Transfer Jutsu and winding up in control of an Eagle.

She then took to scouting for flags while Karin and Daisuke watched her body.

A couple hours later, Ino awoke to find a map in front of her, which already had their team's current location marked on it. Danzo had managed to slip a map of Training Ground 44 into Daisuke's supplies, and it proved helpful, as Ino quickly marked the location of the two flags she had found. Both were several kilometers from their current location, so Team Sasuke set off.

- _That Night-_

Daisuke had the second watch, and was wide awake in a tree, as his teammates slept in the bushes below. As he kept his silent vigil, he took time to reflect on the exam so far.

Team Sasuke had one flag, a good start. The flag they had collected was found inside the nest of a very aggressive pair of hawks. They had fought valiantly, defending their nest, but they were outnumbered. As Daisuke and Karin distracted them, Ino had been able to sneak into the nest and retrieve the flag.

The future Uzumaki matriarch had made it out of the encounter without a scratch on her, but the same could not be said of her two teammates. The birds had been vicious, and both Karin and Daisuke had several scratches and cuts. Nothing major, but more than enough to be painful.

As he recalled that experience, Daisuke instinctively checked the bandages covering some of his wounds from that battle. The pain had been well worth it to help achieve one of his missions.

 _I suppose this would be the best opportunity for me to fulfill my other mission_ the boy thought, _I will not fail you, Danzo-sama._

Without making a sound, he slipped off the tree and approached his sleeping teammates. He put a Fuinjutsu tag on both of them, guaranteeing that they would not wake up as long as those tags were on them. This was a risk, if another team found them while he was working, he'd be on his own.

He quickly set to work, unsealing a few pieces of equipment. Daisuke was no medic, but Danzo had made sure that he had more than enough medical training to accomplish this mission without any risk to his teammates.

Using a needle, he withdrew blood from Karin, which he then transferred to a small container before sealing it away. He also took hair and saliva samples from his red haired teammate.

His mission accomplished, he removed the tags from the two kunoichi, who thankfully stayed asleep, and ascended into the trees to resume his watch. He wasn't sure why Danzo wanted the DNA of a pureblooded Uzumaki, but that didn't matter, it wasn't his place to question his master. All that mattered was the mission.

- _The Next Day, with Naruto_ _-_

As Naruto approached the entrance to the Inuzuka's lands he saw a familiar face at the gate, apparently waiting for him. "Hey, Naruto! How's it goin'?" Kiba asked as he enthusiastically greeted the blond that he considered somewhat of a rival.

The Inuzuka had one of the largest plots of land in Konoha, and their territory was usually referred to as a quarter or a district, rather than a compound. That being said, several parts of the district were off limits to non-Inuzuka, because in these areas, which made up about 1/2 of the Clan's land, ninja dogs were bred, raised, and trained, and the exact way they were raised and trained was considered a clan secret.

As Kiba led Naruto through the streets of the district, avoiding the areas off limits to outsiders, the two made casual conversation. Kiba had been one of Naruto's few friends in the academy, and they had often skipped class together. Neither of them saw each other all that often anymore. The Konoha 12 did get together occasionally, but outside of those gatherings the two teens had few interactions. Both led very busy lives.

Finally, they reached the stately Inuzuka Clan Head's Manor where Kiba and his family lived. They made their way to the office, where Tsume and Hana met them, though Naruto was surprised to see that it was the Clan Heiress who sat at the desk, while Tsume sat off to the side.

"I hope it is ok that my daughter conducts the negotiations." Tsume said "She'll be running the clan in a couple years, and I thought it would be good for both of you to get some experience doing these sorts of things. Everything she'll offer I've approved in advance."

Naruto didn't have a problem with this arrangement, and so he sat down at the chair across from the desk, while Kiba joined his mother in the chairs arranged against the side walls.

Hana Inuzuka was 22 years old, six years her brother's senior, and was already a jonin, veterinarian, and well established figure within the Inuzuka Clan. She had met Naruto a couple of times when he was still in the academy and had been playing with Kiba. It was a surreal experience for both Hana and Naruto to be sitting across from each other about to conduct Clan business.

"To begin with, Uzumaki-dono, I'd like hear what you know of the Inuzuka's finances." Hana began.

"Not much, I probably have the same information that all the other clan heads do." Hana's body language implied that she wanted him to continue, so he elaborated.

"On paper, the Inuzuka have just as much income as any other clan, however given the fact that raising, training, and caring for, so many ninja dogs is incredibly expensive, you have far less cash on hand than all the other clans."

Hana nodded, that was true. "And we're here to discuss an arrangement that will not only help the Inzuka increase our cash reserves, but would be beneficial for the Uzumaki as well." She stated.

Considering the Uzumaki only had two members, the income from their missions and the joint Uzumaki-Yamanaka property management company was more than enough, but Naruto wasn't going to say no to the possibility of increasing the clan's wealth. "I'm listening."

The Inuzuka heiress shot a hesitant glance to her mother, who nodded in an offer of non-verbal reassurance. Hana then took a deep breath and made her pitch. "As you know, there is a large, vacant lot in the center of town. The building there was destroyed during the Sand/Sound invasion and was never rebuilt. We're proposing to purchase the land and develop it as a retail shopping center for civilians."

"Let me guess," Naruto said, "You don't have enough cash to both buy the land and construct the building, so you want to partner with the Uzumaki to do so." "Exactly" Hana said with a smile. "We are proposing that the Inuzuka fit the bill for 80% of the land purchase, while the Uzumaki provide the remaining 20% of the cost of the land, and the whole cost of development. I have a proposal here." She then handed Naruto a packet of papers.

What followed was about 15 minutes of silence, occasionally interrupted by Naruto turning a page in the proposal or the clink of a tea cup against something. Finally, Naruto put the papers down. "Of course, I'll really need more time to go over this agreement carefully, but I do have a couple of initial thoughts." he said, getting a motion from Hana to explain them.

"I do like the plans for the building, 20 shops and a recreation center should rake in the ryo. However, I'm concerned about the share of profits. According to your own calculations the Uzumaki Clan would be fitting the bill for about 75% of the total cost to purchase and develop the land, yet would only be receiving 30% of the profit."

"Over time you would recoup your investment." Hana pointed out. "In addition, you wouldn't have to worry about managing the property." "Yes, but at the rate of income your accountants predict it would take at least a decade before the Uzumaki Clan sees a profit." Naruto countered, "And while the Uzumaki can afford it, this would be taxing our financial reserves a little bit more than I'm comfortable with. Keep in mind that most of my clan's money at this point is my inheritance. We have the lowest income of any Clan, and this would be taking a huge bite out of the money in our accounts."

"I see, but you're not opposed to the idea of a partnership with the Inuzuka on this project?" Hana asked, seeking clarification on his stance. "No, as I said I think this will be a successful endeavor, and I'd like to be a part of it, but I can't be at only 30% of the profit for 75% of the investment." Naruto stated.

Hana let out a deep sigh, and a hint of sadness broke through her poker face as she pulled out another packet. "Very well, I have another offer prepared, but I'm afraid this one will be the best the Inuzuka can do, if this one is not to your liking I'm afraid we won't be able to do business."

Since Naruto had already read all the economic projections the last time, it took him much less time to peruse this contract, the only differences was what the Inuzuka were offering in exchange for the Uzumaki's investment.

After only 5 minutes, Naruto set the contract down, and appeared to be deep in thought. Having noticed that Tsume's signature was already affixed to the document, he turned to the Inuzuka Clan Head and addressed her. "You must be really desperate to get this deal done, Inuzuka-dono. To offer your own son in a marriage contract with Karin-chan must not have been easy."

It took Kiba a couple seconds to register what was said, but eventually the implications dawned on him. "WHAT? Mom, you're offering me to the Uzumaki Clan?! What the Hell!?"

"Shut it pup, I'm not happy about it either, we'll talk about it later." Tsume barked back at him, instantly silencing her son. She then turned to Naruto. "Do you find these terms more to your liking, Uzumaki-dono?"

The new terms were an increased share of the income, though still not as much as Naruto would have liked, plus Kiba. Given that the Uzumaki were desperate for more manpower, he was probably the most valuable part of the deal for them.

"I do, but I still have a question, what happens to Akamaru?" Naruto asked. Hana stepped back into the conversation, answering: "He'd be transferred to the Uzumaki Clan along with Kiba, but the Inzukua would still control his reproductive rights, and any puppies that he may sire would be the sole property of the Inuzuka, though of course Akamaru would have full paternal visiting rights."

"Ok, here's what I'm going to do then: I'm going to review all the legalese in this contract over the next few days, and when the second round of the chunin exam is over I'm going to speak to my clanswoman and see what she thinks about having Kiba as a husband. As long as she agrees and there is nothing in the fine print that I find objectionable, I think we have a deal. I'll get back to you within two weeks." Naruto said.

The meeting quickly wrapped up, and Hana showed Naruto out. When the door closed behind them, Kiba started to chew his mother out, but she beat him to the punch.

"Kiba, I didn't want to offer you up in an arranged marriage, but you knew that it was a possibility. You're the child of a Clan Head but aren't the clan heir." She said, rather sternly. Her tone told Kiba that the matter wasn't up for debate. Kiba wasn't happy, but he could tell that questioning his mother would only make things worse.

Before Tsume could stop him, and attempt to comfort him, he rushed out of their home, heading in the direction of the training fields to let off some steam. He had a lot to think about.

- _With Team Sasuke_ -

Ino, Karin, and Daisuke were up early, heading towards the other flag that Ino had found while scouting. Their plan was to retrieve this flag, and then make a beeline for the tower. If they happened along another flag on the way, that was great, but if not they were going to set traps and lie in wait to ambush other teams.

Once they got within a few kilometers of the flag, Karin activated her sensory abilities, and quickly spoke up. "We have incoming. There is another team that appears to be heading towards the same flag from the opposite direction. Based on their chakra levels they are weaker than us, but not by much."

"Can you tell if we'll beat them to the target?" called Daisuke. Karin was silent for a few moments, as her inner scientist was mentally running the calculations. Finally, she answered the question: "If both sides continue at their current pace, I estimate that we will arrive 10 minutes before they do."

Ino spoke up next: "Then I suggest we lay a few traps, if we're lucky we could come out of this encounter with all three flags."

The three genin double timed it to the flag, eager to have as much time as possible to prepare an ambush. As they ran, the same seals they had used in order to telepathically communicate in the first exam allowed them to begin planning their trap.

- _30 Minutes Later-_

Three young Suna genin entered a small clearing. "All right Akihito, where did your summons say they saw the Flag?" A tall brown haired Kunoichi asked of the lone male of the trio. "Technically, they didn't see anything, Bats use echolocation, and Bat-Ninjas are no different" the boy fired right back in a 'know-it-all' tone of voice.

"All right nerd, chill out. Where is the flag?" Asked the third member of the trio, a maroon haired kunoichi, who was the shortest of the three. 'Nerd' sighed, as if already resigned to the fact that he was nothing but a 'nerd' to his teammates, before answering: "In the branches of one of these trees."

"Fantastic!" the tall brunette called out, "After this flag we just need one more, I can't wait till we don't have to be a team anymore, I hate you both soooo much." The maroon haired kunoichi and the boy both quickly agreed with that statement.

Hiding in the trees, Ino activated her fuinjutsu enhanced abilities again. " _All right, well these guys have issues_." "M _ore than likely they were a team solely put together for this exam, like us._ " Daisuke responded. " _But it sounds like they do have another flag, so we should take them out, then we'll have all three that we need._ " Karin added.

" _Right, on my mark Karin._ " Ino thought, as she ran through some hand signs. " _I'm with you, Ino-sama_ " Karin responded, while running through the same motions.

Once all three of the Suna genin were in the trees, Ino gave the word, and both Konoha kunoichi muttered: "Uzumaki Fuinjutsu: Chakra Trap." under their breath.

On several trees near the clearing, a seal appeared, and black lines of calligraphy spread throughout the branches, and down to the ground. Silently, the threads made their way along the ground to other trees, and began climbing up them.

Anything in contact with one of the trees when the chakra trap hit was quickly cut off from their chakra network and paralyzed, unable to move, or even speak, as long as the trap was active. The Suna genin had no idea what hit them.

Once all three Suna genin were paralyzed, Ino, Karin, and Daiksuke emerged from their hiding places, and each searched a member of the Suna Team, looking for the flag. Karin found it on the brunette.

With each member of Team Sasuke in possession of a flag, in order to decrease the likely hood of them losing all of their flags should something go wrong, the three genin raced for the tower, and only after they were several kilometers from the site of their ambush did Ino and Karin release their Fuinjutsu.

They encountered no trouble on the way to their destination, and were quickly confirmed as having passed the second exam. They were then shown to a room, since they would have about a day and a half to wait until the second exam ended. Surprisingly, they were the second team to arrive. A team from Taki had been the first to pass the exam, arriving a couple of hours before Team Sasuke.

 _-A Day and a half Later-_

Team Sasuke stood with 3 other teams as Gai congratulated them on passing the second exam, going off on tangents about how the 4 teams were truly in the 'springtime of their youth' and had displayed 'most youthful enthusiasm' and could be considered 'geniuses of hard work.' In addition to Team Sasuke, there was another Konoha team and one each from Taki and Suna.

Gai likely would have gone on for at least another hour, if not two, but Tsunade cut him off. The Hokage freely acknowledged that Gai was one of her top shinobi, but she had little patience for his eccentricities.

Tsunade's speech was less philosophical, and more practical than Ino remembered Hiruzen Sarutobi's being. She didn't touch on the how the chunin exams were a substitute for war, instead focusing on how the exams were a stepping stone, an obstacle that had to be conquered in order for shinobi to achieve their dreams.

She didn't use long, flowery words, it was a rather blunt speech that went straight to the point, and for Ino it seemed that the speech was at least partially directed at her, after all the chunin exams were currently the single biggest obstacle in moving on to the next stage of her life.

When Tsunade finished her speech, she handed the finalists over to the care of their final proctor. Normally, it would be strange for someone who was not only one of the top jonin, but also so well connected as a high ranking member of a clan, to be serving as an exam proctor, but formalities had never really been important to Kakashi Senju.

The husband of the Senju Clan Head and son-in-law of the Hokage had actually volunteered to serve as proctor for the finals, partially to get Gai to stop bothering him about how great it would be if they proctored the same exam, and partially to make sure that Karin and Ino were truly ready.

Kakshi was happy that Naruto had family, and that Ino made him happy, but his 'adorable student' was also the son of Kakashi's surrogate father, Minato-sensei's legacy, and Kakashi viewed himself as an unofficial guardian of that legacy.

The Copy Ninja had every intention of forcing the two kunoichi of Team Sasuke to prove that they were strong enough to deserve to be a part of Naruto's life. Naruto didn't need weak people that would hold him back. He needed strong people around him, who could support his goals and help him achieve them.

"The finals will take place in Konoha's stadium exactly one month from today" Kakashi began. "The format will be a series of fights. There are 12 of you, and if we just did 1 on 1 fights that would eventually lead to three people in the final fight, which would be awkward, so instead we are doing the three person fights at the beginning. There will be 4 1v1v1 matches. After that we will be left with 4 people in the semifinals, and the tournament will take a more traditional approach. Now, I need you all to come up here and draw lots."

As each member of Team Sasuke drew a lot, they huddled and compared. Karin's lot said "Fight #1" while Ino and Daisuke had both drawn "Fight #3." Ino was a slightly upset she'd have to fight a teammate, but Daisuke was very pleased. His primary mission was to get Ino promoted, and he could think of no better way to ensure that she would win her first fight than by taking part in it.

When everyone had drawn, Kakashi announced the results.

Fight 1 consisted of Karin Uzumaki of Konoha, Tsubasa Hamida of Suna, and Hokaido Kamiya of Taki.

Fight 2 pitted one of the other Konoha shinobi vs. a Suna nin vs. a Taki nin.

Fight 3 was an all Konoha affair: Ino Yamanaka vs. Daisuke vs. a Hyuga named Kazuo.

Fight 4 had the same composition as Fights 1 & 2, Konoha vs. Suna, vs. Taki.

With the finals determined, and a final word of advice to train hard over the next month, the second exam was officially closed, and everyone who was in the tower began to make their way back through the forest, towards the village.

The members of Team Sasuke were in high spirits, and determined to do their best in the next round.

 _I won't let you down, Naruto-kun._

 _I'll show Naruto-sama and Ino-sama just what I can do. I'll earn my place in the Clan._

 _I will not fail my mission, Danzo-sama. Ino Yamanaka will be promoted to chunin._

They had one month to get as strong as possible, the finals were not going to be easy.

-End of Chapter-

* * *

To those wondering why Danzo only slipped Daisuke a blank map and not one with the locations of the flags already marked: That's because Gai didn't plan their locations in advance. Daisuke's secret objective was revealed as acquiring a sample of Karin's DNA.

I was originally gonna have a big old section on Inuzuka relationship dynamics and internal politics. Wrote it out and everything, but ultimately decided against putting it in the story. It may come back in sometime later, but in the meantime, if you really want to read it PM me and I can send it to you.

If you remember back to...chapter 1 I think, Neji was actually promoted to chunin, not straight to jonin. That being said, in the 1st exam I made a little reference to what happens in canon, where he bypasses chunin entirely.

Comments/Questions:

Q: Will there at least be some Action/Adventure in this story?  
A: Yes. There was Kazekage Rescue, now there are these Chunin Exams, there will be some more.

C: It would be cool if Karin became Naruto's Second Wife

R: Well, this chapter pretty much killed any chance of that. I've certainly toyed with the idea of Naruto having a 2nd wife, but at this point I have no definitive plans to add one, and Karin was never someone that I considered. From the moment I decided to include Karin I was always planning for Karin/Kiba. Sort of like Naruto/Ino these are two very loud, strongly opinionated, stubborn people that are stuck in a relationship together, and I find that intriguing.

C: I hope you will have Naruto stop wearing Orange.

R: I did give him a black Kimono with just an orange Uzumaki Crest in a previous chapter (and I believe that was dark Orange, not light orange.) Orange is actually my favorite color, but yeah I'm not big on it being in clothing, except sports uniforms. I usually don't go into clothing, but I think it is safe to assume a Clan Head (as I have them portrayed in this story) is not going to be able to get away with bright orange jumpsuits. Assume that, at least when on Clan business, he's wearing something more formal and less orange.

Thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


	13. Chapter 13

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu/Shindenshin Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

Team Sasuke was met at Konoha's gates by their friends and family, who whisked them away to a small party that had been put together by the Yamanaka Clan. For one night, they would celebrate their accomplishments thus far, then the real work would begin.

Daisuke politely declined, and made his way back to Foundation Headquarters, but Naruto, Sakura, and Inoichi were unwilling to take 'no' as an answer from Karin, Ino, and Sasuke. They were quickly dragged off to party.

- _The Yamanaka Compound-_

Naruto stood in the center of a small group of people, with one arm around Karin's shoulder, and the other around Ino's waist. He was immensely proud of both of them, and stood with them as they basked in the spotlight.

The two kunoichi were the center of attention, as members of the Konoha 12 who had not been involved in proctoring the exams, Clan Heads, and members of the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara Clans swarmed around them, offering hearty congratulations, and best wishes for the finals.

While select members of the Konoha 12 had been very welcoming to Karin in the few months she had been in Konoha, this party was the first time she truly felt welcome in the village. She basked in the feeling of acceptance, more sure than ever that this was her home now, but she was pulled from her reverie by a question that she couldn't answer: "So, who are you going to train under for the next month?"

Karin had no answer. The only people who knew enough about her skills were Naruto and Ino. Obviously she couldn't train with the latter, and she assumed the former would want to personally train his fiance.

Sasuke and Asuma had done some of her training, but Sasuke generally showed little interest, and she doubted he'd want to devote a whole month to supervising her training when he wasn't required too.

Asuma had enough time to give Team Sasuke a couple hours a day, but between his duties as head of the Sarutobi Clan, and a baby at home, he couldn't give her enough time to make any significant progress.

It was November, Karin had only been a shinobi of Konoha since July. She still wasn't well connected, it would be very difficult for her to find someone to train her. Her mind started racing, but just as she was about to start stressing over it, Ino stepped in to the conversation. "She'll be training with Naruto-kun of course. It only makes sense that the Uzumaki Clan Head personally oversees her training."

Naruto, his arms still wrapped around his fiance and his clanswoman, nodded his agreement. "But Ino-sama" Karin protested. "I though Naruto-sama would be overseeing your training?" "Nope, no offense Karin, but I have way more people that want to train me than you do, so you can have him."

Ino already had her training schedule figured out. It was going to be hellacious, but she was going to come away from it a lot stronger than before. 6 Days a week she would start at 6am by doing two hours of a general work out with Lee.

Ino was willing to put up with his eccentricities if it meant improving her strength and chakra reserves, and she had used the shindenshin jutsu to ask him if he could help train her at the end of the first exam. Lee had heartily agreed, eager to help out a fellow 'Konoha 12.' Ino generally found Lee annoying, but it was worth it if it led to her promotion, at least he was more tolerable than his sensei.

She'd then take an hour break for breakfast, and at 9am she would meet with Fu. Ino still didn't trust Danzo or Fu, but the training had paid off so far, so she was willing to put up for it for one more month. Especially since it was the only way for her to continue to train in her Yamanka techniques, the Yamanakas having refused to train her in their secret techniques since she was promised to a different Clan.

The secret technique holding clans were paranoid about their secrets like that.

Ino held no hard feelings towards her birth clan for their refusal, she was certainly very protective of the secrets of Uzumaki Fuinjutsu, so she understood the paranoia, but she still wanted to progress in the techniques of her birth clan, thus the training with Fu was necessary.

Once the Finals were over, Ino planned on discontinuing her training sessions with Foundation members, and her relationship with the Foundation in general, but for now she'd put her suspicions to the side for the sake of getting stronger.

At noon, she'd take an hour break for Lunch, which would be the one time of the day she got to spend with Naruto, a necessary sacrifice.

At 1pm she would go to the Sarutobi Compound, and spend the rest of the afternoon there. Asuma would work with her on Taijutsu and elemental ninjutsu, while Kurenai would work with her on Genjutsu. They would alternate working with Ino and watching Mirai.

At 6pm she would return to the Yamanka Compound for dinner, and after dinner she would rest until 8:30pm, when she would spar with her father for no more than an hour, after which she would immediately go to bed.

One day a week, she would have a 'rest day.' On those days, she would do some very light training for a couple of hours, but would mostly work in the Yamanaka Flower shop or spend time in the Uzumaki Library, continuing her months long process of learning everything she could about her future clan.

With such an intense routine, Ino was confident she would be able to do well in the tournament, so she had no problem insisting that Karin hog Naruto for training, after all it was only for a month, and outside of their lunch dates she wouldn't really have any time for him.

"Ino-sama, thank you." Karin said, offering a very slight bow to her future Clan Matriarch, which was waved off by Ino who said "Please, Karin, we're family, or rather soon to be family, I'm just helping out a fellow Uzumaki."

"I'll have you ready to kick ass in the tournament Karin-chan, just you wait! 'tebayo!" Naruto exclaimed as he pulled both Karin and Ino into an impromptu group hug "You're both going to do great, and send a message to the rest of the Shinobi world that the Uzumaki Clan is not to be messed with, believe it!"

- _The Next Morning, 8am-_

As Ino and Lee were finishing their inaugural workout, Naruto was just stepping out of the shower and sitting down to breakfast with Karin. Neither of the Uzumaki were 'morning people,' and the training regime Naruto had planned started later in the day, but also went later than Ino's.

"Alright, Karin-chan. How many shadow clones can you make?" He asked as breakfast was winding down. As an Uzumaki, Karin had very high chakra reserves, though no where near as much as Naruto's, whose sky high base Uzumaki charka levels were exponentially multiplied by his status as the container of the strongest of the Tailed Bests. Still, Karin had more than enough chakra to use the Shadow Clone training method Naruto had perfected.

"I can do 15, Naruto-sama. Though if you want me to train in addition to my clones, it would probably be best to make 12."

Naruto nodded. Most jonin couldn't make more than two. Tsunade, a Kage level shinobi who was ¼ Uzumaki, could only make 7. Karin, as a genin, could make 12 and still have enough chakra left in the tank to train. Who knows how many she would be able to make when she was jonin level.

 _Crazy Chakra reserves, natural aptitude for Fuinjutsu, strong life force, healing chakra for Karin-chan, chakra chains; They may not be as flashy as the Byakugan or the Sharingan, but our Kekkai Genkai are just are just as dangerous as any._ Naruto thought with a small smile. _Which reminds me, I really need to learn to make those chakra chains Kaa-san mentioned in her journal._

"For now I just need you to have enough chakra left in the tank for a small experiment, so let's make 14 clones each, Karin-chan." "As you wish, Naruto-sama." Karin had no idea what Naruto was planning, but she was totally loyal to her Clan's lord and wasn't going to disobey. She trusted that whatever he had planned would make her stronger.

When all the clones were made, causing the small apartment the two Uzumaki shared to become quite cramped, Naruto addressed each of his clones, directing them to pair off with one of Karin's clones. Each pair of clones was then given a destination, training objective, and approximate time at which they should dispel.

In general, the clones were divided into 3 groups. Six pairs of clones were working on Taijutsu. These were then further divided. 2 pairs worked on the Uzumaki style, 2 on the Konoha style, and 2 on the Kusa style, which Naruto had also roped Gai, the village's resident Taijutsu expert, into helping with.

4 pairs of Clones worked on Fuinjutsu, and the final four pairs sparred.

Soon, it was just the original Karin and Naruto left in the apartment. "This will be our morning routine, Karin-chan." Naruto explained. "Each morning we will make several clones, and they will work on those same things each time. With Taijutsu, the goal is to get you fully proficient in the Uzumaki and Kusa styles, while also starting to teach you the Konoha style. We're Uzumaki, so I shouldn't need to explain why we are working on Fuinjutsu, and the sparring will be to put it all together."

"What will we be doing while the clones train?" Karin asked. "Normally, strength and endurance, but today we are going to work on nature transformation." Naruto responded as he pulled out a piece of chakra paper. "Channel your chakra through this so that we can see what your primary element is."

Karin did as instructed, and the paper quickly grew damp, as drops of water began to drip from it down onto the floor. Seeing this, Naruto made several more shadow clones, sending most of them to various shinobi libraries to read up on developing one's water affinity, and another to find out if he knew anyone who could help him train Karin in water style..

"Damn, I was hoping you would have a wind affinity, Karin-chan. That way I could train you, but I'm not really familiar with Water Style. I guess we'll have to start element manipulation tomorrow so that my clones can read up on it today and give me an idea of what to do." Naruto let out a brief sigh. "I suppose that's for the best, I do have some clan business we need to talk about."

"Of course, Naruto-sama. What do you need?" "I received a contract offer from the Inuzuka clan." "Of course, and you want me to look it over and make sure everything checks out?" Karin was very smart, not quite Nara level, but close. Since joining Konoha she had been a quick study on the laws and customs of the village and its various clans.

Since Clan Heads were required to have an assistant, spouse, or heir with them at meetings, and Karin was the only other member of the Uzumaki Clan, at least until the wedding, she had also been gaining a good amount of political experience by attending the council meetings as Naruto's assistant.

Due to all of this, she had taken on an unofficial role as the Uzumaki Clan's treasurer, accountant, and lawyer. As such, she had become an invaluable asset to Naruto, whose expertise generally lay elsewhere, though he had grown leaps and bounds in the fields of finance, politics, and law since becoming a Clan Head.

"Yeah, I will want you to look it over, Karin-chan, but more importantly, I need to tell you what the Inuzuka are offering." His words were confusing to Karin, why did she need to know that now? She could always read it in the contract, and she wasn't involved in the decision making process, that was all on Naruto.

"Why, Naruto-sama?" Again, Naruto let out a sigh as he handed her the proposal, "because part of their offer includes a marriage contract where Kiba joins the Uzumaki as your husband."

There was an awkward silence, Naruto waited for the outburst that he thought was inevitable, while Karin simply read the document. He had seen her 'explode' multiple times, though neither he nor Ino had been on the receiving end of one, her behavior towards her clan head and future clan matriarch was much more calm and composed than the easily irritated hothead she was with everyone else. Still, he fully expected to be on the receiving end of her anger after she read the document.

As Naruto waited, he realized that most of her outbursts that he had witnessed were actually aimed at Kiba. Both were stubborn and quick to get worked up, and Naruto couldn't think of a social event they had both been at where they hadn't argued with each other. Not the greatest sign for what was to come if he accepted the contract.

After what seemed like an eternity as Karin read and re-read the contract, doing calculations as she double checked the math in the financial part of the proposal, she finally looked up and spoke. "It will take a little bit longer for us to recoup such a large investment than I would like, but the addition of a new member of the clan more than makes up for that. This is a good deal, Naruto-sama, you should take it." Not the reaction Naruto was expecting.

"You're not upset the whole marriage thing?" He asked. "I'll admit that I don't really like Kiba." Karin responded. "He's a loud, obnoxious, stubborn, perverted, dim-witted brute. But I'm sure I can train him and mold him into something that is more to my liking. Besides, my reproductive system is one of the few things I can offer to to the clan." Now it was Naruto's turn to be confused: "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not a fighter, Naruto-sama. I can't bring glory and prestige to the clan, nor can I bring in income from high ranking missions. The only assets I have that will push our clan forward are my brain and my ability to have children. I'm already using my intelligence for our benefit, a marriage contract allows my to put my other asset to work for the clan as well."

Naruto frowned, not particularly pleased with her response. "Karin-chan, you're more important to the clan than just as a brain and a breeder. Besides, I don't want to force you, if you can't stand Kiba than I won't accept the contract, I'm not sure why they wanted the Uzumaki as partners anyways, there are plenty of other clans that have enough income and reserves to have agreed to the Inuzuka's original offer without batting an eye."

As Naruto moved to take the contract back, Karin reached out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from doing so. "That would be a mistake, Naruto-sama. I may not like Kiba, but I'm more than willing to marry him for the good of the clan, and as I said, I'm sure I can train and mold him into something I can learn to love, much like Ino-sama has done with you."

"What are you talking about?" asked a somewhat incredulous Naruto, "Ino-chan hasn't trained me, I'm a person, not a dog." "True, but you are a male, and she is female, advantage Ino-sama. Ever heard of the phrase 'happy wife, happy life?'...Prove me wrong and I'll buy you ramen tonight, Naruto-sama." Karin taunted, sporting a playful grin.

At first, Naruto looked very excited at the prospect of free ramen, but then his expression turned to one of a pouting child. "Aw, but I'm already meeting Ino-chan for ramen at lunch, and she doesn't let me eat ramen more than once a day." Karin smiled, having tricked Naruto into proving her point. "I rest my case, Naruto-sama."

*Slap* Naruto facepalmed as he realized that Karin had bested him, and that Ino had trained him, at least when it came to ramen. "I'm starting to see why Shikamaru is always complaining about troublesome women." he muttered to himself.

Karin's voice pulled him out of his humiliation. "In all seriousness, Naruto-sama, you did a similar thing to what I will do. Ino-sama bullied you regularly as a child, then after not having any interaction with her for three years you agreed to marry her, and signed a betrothal contract less than 12 hours after your training trip ended. That was a pretty big gamble, and it's very similar to me marrying someone that I often argue with."

Naruto mentally conceded the point, but Karin wasn't done. "A child produced by Kiba and I could possibly not only posses my sensory ability and Kekkai Genkai, but the Inuzuka sense of smell. If those abilities continued to be passed down, the Uzumaki Clan could develop into not only the chakra powerhouses of Konoha, but also the most efficient scouts."

Karin had a point of course, the other clans of Konoha had been selectively breeding to develop genetic abilities for centuries. "This deal will benefit the clan. I'm more than willing to go through with it. My life has been incredible these last few months, and I'm happy to make a sacrifice as long as it continues to move our clan further. Please, Naruto-sama, take the deal."

While no Kekkai Genkai, it seemed that the Uzumaki had the genetic ability to peer at other people's souls. Naruto had used his deep gaze to his advantage on more than one occasion, and now found him self on the receiving end of Karin's. Her sincerity in wanting to do what was best for the clan, even if meant doing something she wasn't necessarily happy about, was clear.

"All right, you win, Karin-chan. I just want you to speak to Kiba before I officially sign it, but otherwise you've convinced me. I still don't know why Tsume-san wanted a deal with us in the first place though" Naruto gave in. "Actually, it's pretty obvious why she would choose to make a deal with you even if it meant giving up more, Naruto-sama." Karin said, giving Naruto a look that said 'you're smarter than this.'

"Karin-chan, you've already humiliated me enough in this conversation….go ahead and do it again. Why would the Inuzuka want to deal with us?" "It's a matter of balance of power." Karin responded. "Right now the clans are fairly unified, because the biggest issues facing them are things they can agree on: reducing the power of the civilians, increasing the power of the Hokage, and etc. That's not always going to be the case."

"So how will the Uzumaki represent balance?" Naruto asked. "Right now, we are more in the orbit of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, due to the contract between the Uzumaki and Yamanaka." Karin responded.

"These clans are in a very close alliance with the Sarutobi and Senju. Add in the Uzumaki and you have six clans, a majority. By setting up a marriage between Kiba and I, Tsume-dono is attempting to influence our clan, and make sure that there is not one solid voting block that is capable of outvoting all the other clans. I wouldn't be surprised if your children are offered a spouse from the Aburame, or possibly even the Uchiha, for that very same reason."

"Ok, that makes sense." Again, Naruto was impressed with Karin's ability to figure out what was going on, and explain it in a way that was easily understood by anyone. There would come a time when the clans were not unified by bigger problems, and Tsume, along with Shibi, Hiashi, and possibly even Sasuke were going to try to make sure that Naruto didn't always side with Inoichi, Shizune, Asuma, Shikaku, and Choza.

The Inuzuka Matriarch was playing a long term game. The kind Naruto would need to start playing if he really wanted to improve the wealth, power, prestige, and influence of his own clan. The kind of game he had absolutely no experience with, the kind of game that he needed to learn about if he was going to lead the Uzumaki back to prominence.

By the time their conversation was finished, most of Naruto and Karin's clones dispelled, and it was time for Naruto to meet Ino for lunch at Ichiraku. He had also been able to arrange a lunch date for Karin and Kiba at a sushi restaurant owned by the Akimichi Clan, one that allowed dogs, so that Akamaru could be there as well.

- _With Karin & Kiba-_

To say that their first meeting since finding out about their proposed marriage was awkward at first would be an understatement. Karin and Kiba sat next to each other, not saying a word, simply waiting for their food.

Both had been given a rather stern talking to before their meeting. Tsume and Naruto wanted this to go well, and both Karin and Kiba had been warned against provoking one of their usual arguments. As such, both of them were silent, not wanting to say something that would set off the other. Even Akamaru, lounging at Kiba's feet, seemed hesitant to do anything.

Finally, it was Kiba who broke the silence: "So I guess since we're both here that means that Naruto has agreed to my mom's proposal?" "Naruto-sama was actually thinking about turning down the contract because he didn't want to force either of us into this arrangement against our wills. I had to talk him into it. You should show him some more respect, you'll owe him your allegiance, loyalty, and obedience soon enough." came a rather terse response.

Kiba's initial response would have been to say how much better than Naruto he was, but he knew how loyal to his blonde quasi-rival Karin was, having purposely provoked her by talking about how much better than the Uzumaki Clan Head he was within earshot of her several times in the past.

Fearing his mother's response if he provoked her again, he held his tongue this time. He and Karin were supposed to symbolize and embody friendship between the Uzumaki and Inuzuka Clans, even if he didn't really like her, he at least needed to try to get along with his future wife.

Instead, he said "So...have you figured out how you are going to train for the finals?" "Naruto-sama is personally training me." she responded. "We're using shadow clones to cover a wide variety of bases. Taijutsu, Fuinjutsu, Ninjutsu, and etc." "Sounds like a good plan….anything I can do to help?"

"Why would you want to help me? We don't exactly get along." Karin pointed out. "Because like it or not we're stuck together. At this point, it's in both of our best interest to try to get along with each other. Maybe I can not only help you get promoted, but it could serve as bonding for us? An opportunity for us to get to know each other better?"

"I didn't actually think you were capable of that level of maturity, Kiba." Karin responded, her inflection making it clear that it was intended as a joke, Kiba wasn't the only one trying to avoid provoking the other.

"But in all seriousness, yes I'd appreciate some help. I could use someone to spar against in the evenings other than Naruto-sama. And you're right, we should try to get along. The best way for me to help the clan is to have children, and I'd hate to for those children to grow up with psychological issues because their parents were always arguing."

The idea of children, and the actions that were necessary to create them, caused Kiba's face to glow red. While he didn't like Karin's personality, he secretly fantasized about her body, and the idea of doing adult things with her was enough to momentarily distract him.

To prevent himself from going down that rabbit hole, he forced himself to ask about something he had been wondering. "So why are you always putting the needs of your clan above your own interests? You clearly hate me, yet you're already talking about having children with me. I know Naruto's not forcing you to do this, he's too nice to the people that are important to him to ever force you into this, so why?"

"You don't know the first thing about me." Karin snapped. "First of all, I don't hate you, I just think you're a stubborn brute. Secondly, you don't know what I've gone through in my life, doing what I can to push the Uzumaki forward is nothing compared to what I went through in Kusa and Oto!"

"True, I don't know your life, but I'd like to know what happened, after all, we're kinda stuck together." Kiba said softly, trying to take the high road and prevent an argument. Karin sighed, she didn't enjoy reliving those memories, but it wasn't like her past was a secret. She had told several people while she was being interrogated, Anko, Ibiki, Inoichi, and Tsunade to name a few.

Naruto and Ino both knew. She doubted Tsume would have offered her own son as a husband for her without getting some information about her past. That being said, the past was just something that Karin didn't like to talk about. Still, Kiba had a point, if anyone else deserved to know her backstory, it was her future husband.

"There is a very rare, secret, Kekkai Genkai in the Uzumaki Clan, more of a curse really, not even Naruto-sama has it, but I do. If you were to bite me and suck out my blood, your chakra reserves would refill." Karin began, before stressing "the fact that such a kekkai genkai exists is top secret, and I'm only telling you this because you'll be joining the clan soon enough. It's one of our most closely guarded secrets."

"I understand, I won't tell a soul." Kiba responded, the Inuzuka had many secrets of their own, secrets he'd be forbidden from revealing to the Uzumaki Clan, so he, like all Clan shinobi, understood the value of discretion.

Karin acknowledged his response with a small, if sad smile, before continuing her story. "I grew up in Kusa. My mother and I were nothing but disposable assets to them. The very first Fuinjutsu my mother taught me was one that prevented pregnancy in cases of rape. My mother was nothing but a chakra battery to Kusa, and they wanted more of them. She was raped frequently in the hopes of causing her to have more children. After she died, I became their primary chakra battery."

As she spoke, she lifted up one of the sleeves on one of her arms, revealing the scars of bite marks from her past. "Kusa didn't understand how the ability worked, but wanted more people with it. When my mother died from this ability being abused, and having not produced any children, I became their primary 'medic,' and they pinned all their hopes of breeding more chakra batteries onto me."

"Karin...you weren't...you know, were you?" Kiba asked, his voice barely above a whisper, appalled at what he was hearing. Kiba's question was not specific, and Karin figured he was asking one of two things, so she answered both.

"No, I was not raped, I was considered too young, and I fled right before I was old enough that they would have started. And no, I'm not the result of a rape. My father was also an Uzumaki, and he and my mother were in love with each other, she wanted to have me." She paused for a minute, before continuing her life's story.

"Things were slightly better in Oto, Orochimaru valued my brain, and made me the head of a research lab, but because of my Kekkai Genkai I was also a future experiment for him." Finally, a real genuine smile overtook her features as she said "But all that changed when I heard that Naruto-sama was reviving the Uzumaki Clan here in Konoha, I felt like I had found my true calling."

Her grin got wider, the memories of the past few months were by far her happiest. "Everything has changed since I got here. Naruto-sama and Ino-sama value me as a person, as does Hokage-sama and the rest of the village. I'm not just a walking chakra battery here, I'm a person. I owe so much to the Uzumaki-clan, that's why I place the clan's needs above my own personal interests and desires." As she said that, she took off her glasses to wipe some moisture from them, talking about her past always made her tear up a bit.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and once her glasses were back on she saw that the hand belonged to Kiba. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I promise that no one will ever treat you like that again, I may not ever love you, but I'll never let anyone abuse my wife like that." He paused for a moment, before continuing: I" know you're not much of a fighter, but I'll protect you." Even Akamaru seemed moved by Karin's words, as he got up and put his head in her lap.

Kiba was viewing Karin in a whole new light. She was his age, but had already gone through so much, and now he was being entrusted with her. Naruto, the person that inspired him to get stronger, was entrusting a member of his own family, a person who had suffered so much abuse, to him of all people. It was a little overwhelming for Kiba, realizing the amount of trust Naruto was placing in him, and he mentally swore an oath that he'd validate that trust."

Over the following month Karin settled into a routine. She would make 12 clones, which would go off with Naruto's clones for practice in Taijutsu, Fuinjutsu, and Elemental Ninjutsu. Meanwhile, Naruto worked with her on strength and endurance.

Lunch was almost always with Kiba as the two of them got to know each other. Sometimes Naruto and Ino would join them for double dates, but most of the time it was just the two of them.

Kiba and Karin were slowly becoming closer to each other. To be sure, things weren't perfect. They still regularly got on each other's nerves, and while both admitted that they were attracted to the other's physical attributes, neither one had developed any significant feelings for the other.

That being said, the contract had been officially signed by both Tsume and Naruto, and Karin and Kiba were committed to doing their best to make things work. The actual wedding wouldn't be taking place until both were 18. They were currently 16, so there was plenty of time to get to know each other.

When they did get on each other's nerves, instead of breaking into full on arguments, they tried to talk things out. Sometimes the arguments still ended up happening, but it was progress.

After lunch with her betrothed, Karin's afternoons were spent continuing to train. Karin would make 5-10 clones, which would work on water manipulation under the supervision of a Naruto clone, while the originals worked on Chakra Chains, a Kekkai Genkai neither were proficient in. They would occasionally do some work on Uzumaki Kenjutsu, the other area of Uzumaki ninja skills neither had delved into.

In the evenings, a couple of Karin clones would work on strategies for her opponents, while Karin would either rest or spar with Kiba, which happened twice a week. She also sparred with Naruto once a week. Like Ino, she had a rest day that was spent doing a little light training before relaxing.

The news of Karin and Kiba's betrothal had come as a surprise to many, but for the most part the Konoha 12 took it in stride and offered heartfelt congratulations, even if they were unsure about the seemingly odd pairing. Shikamaru deemed it a 'troublesome arrangement.'

On the outside, Hinata was congratulatory, but on the inside it seemed like another one of her precious people was being stolen from her. She harbored no romantic notions about Kiba, as she was still stuck on Naruto, but along with Shino, Kiba was her teammate from her Team 8 days. First one future Uzumaki stole Naruto from her, now an actual Uzumaki was stealing Kiba.

Hinata was secretly beginning to wish that the Uzumaki Clan had never been revived. The Hyuga would have never allowed her to be with Naruto, or any other non-Hyuga for that matter, but at least Naruto would have still been single and she would still be Kiba's only real female friend, he was friendly with Ino, Sakura, and Tenten of course, but wasn't particularly close to any of them. That was likely to change, at least with Ino, since once both Karin and Kiba were 18, he and Ino would become members of the same clan.

For the present and future Uzumaki's, the month seemed to move past in a blur, and in what seemed like no time at all it was the night before the finals of the Chunin Exams.

- _The Hokage's Office-_

While time seemed to fly by for the Uzumaki, for the Senju, it dragged on. The month between the second and final rounds of the Chunin Exams was one of the few times Tsunade legitimately regretted taking up the hat, and it didn't help that her relationship with the person who convinced her to do so, Naruto, was still strained.

This chunin exam would include a tribute to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the kage who gave his life to protect Konoha in the joint Oto/Suna invasion. As such, the Suna delegation would not only include the Kazekage, Gaara, but half of Suna's council, which would pay their respects to the Sandime Hokage out of a show of unity with Konoha.

This meant that Tsunade and her administrative team were much busier than normal, seeing to the accommodation for not only the nobles and VIP clients that would be attending, but the expanded Suna delegation as well.

Tsunade really just wanted to be at home rather than work, because late November into early December was a very busy month for the Senju Clan.

Shizune was very pregnant, and due any time. Kakashi, who should have been focusing on his position as proctor for the finals, was instead freaking out over the inevitable birth of his child. Tenten was in a seemingly constant state of hyperactivity, she was VERY excited to be an aunt.

Tsunade was of course, just as excited about having a grandchild as Tenten was about being an aunt, but due to how busy things were she couldn't pester the soon to be parents as much she would have liked. Tenten more than made up for Tsunade's inability to pester.

Tenzo, now going by Yamato when not on duty, was under a Clan Restoration Act as part of an experiment to see if he could pass on the Mokuton Kekkai Genkai, not that many people knew why he was under a CRA, and was scheduled to be married to the first of his wives the week before the Chunin Exam started.

Anko Mitarashi had been intrigued by the idea of not only having a husband, but sharing him with other women, and possibly getting involved with said women in the bedroom as well, and had been the first person to sign up to marry Yamato.

The wedding would also do wonders for her status in the village, taking her from the 'Snake Bitch,' 'Spy,' and 'Traitor' people referred to her as, to someone who would wear the crest of Konoha's most influential, wealthy, and respected clan with pride.

- _The Night Before the Chunin Exam Finals-_

A reception was being held at the Hyuga compound to welcome the various VIPs that were in town for the finals being held the next day.

In addition to the VIP clients, the Fire Daimyo, the Wind Daimyo, and the Suna Delegation, members of Konoha high society, both civilian and shinobi, were in attendance, though finalists, such as Ino, were not, it was more important that they get a good night's sleep.

Shizune was undoubtedly the center of attention, her son, the Senju Clan heir, having been born just 10 days earlier. Said baby was currently asleep in a nursery in their home, with Kakashi, the proctor for the next day's finals, staying home to watch over him.

Named Nawaki, after Tsunade's younger brother, the baby had Shizune's brown hair and eyes, but his father's facial features, not that most people made the connection given the mask Kakashi always wore in public. Still, it meant the boy was going to be quite the looker when he was older.

To a far lesser extent, Yamato and Anko Senju, married for all of two days, were also receiving congratulations at the party. With two new members in under two weeks, it had truly been a crazy time for the Senju Clan.

Naruto also found himself on the receiving end of well wishers, people expressing their hope that his betrothed and his clanswomen would do well the next day.

It was truly an enjoyable evening for the Uzumaki Clan Head, but it felt wrong to be at a party while both his fiance and clanswoman were resting. Still as the head of the clan he was expected to get out and mingle with the VIPs. It also helped that Gaara was present, and Naruto was always glad to see his good friend and fellow jinchuuriki.

Despite his enjoyment of the evening, Naruto ended up leaving a bit early, wanting to get home, and knowing that the big celebration, for him at least, would come once Ino, Karin, or both, became chunin.

As Naruto said his farewells to the other party guests, his mind was elsewhere, focused on the people who in less than a year had gone from an acquaintance and someone that he wasn't even aware of, to the two most important people in his life. _Ino-chan, Karin-chan, you'll both do great tomorrow. I know it!_

-End Chapter-

* * *

Disclaimer: The section dealing with Hinata's reaction to Karin and Kiba being a thing is not intended as Hinata bashing. It's intended to help establish a possible future sub plot. I have nothing against Hinata.

If you were expecting the tournament to start this chapter, my apologies. There were a couple of things I wanted to do (Karin & Kiba, All the Senju happenings, etc) before I got into the finals, and thought it would be better to put them in a separate chapter. You will be getting the finals in the next update.

I've had a couple people mention that they've read or are reading not only this story, but my other one as well, so just a quick thanks to those of you who do so. I appreciate your support. Of course, if you don't that's fine too!

C: It's cool that you had Tsume offer Kiba for Karin instead of Hana for Naruto.

R: I mean, Hana's the oldest, so, the way I have this story set up she's the heiress, not someone the Inuzuka are just going to give up. (There are a couple of clans where it is more complicated than simply: First born is the heir or heiress, but for 8/10 it works this way.)

Kiba on the other hand is a younger child of the Clan Head. Sending him to another clan sends a powerful political message without endangering the line of succession. Sort of how like in parts of stereotypical medieval Europe, the second son would often be given to the church, so that the eldest would inherit the wealth and political power and there wouldn't be a split of the lands/money or a conflict over the inheritance.

Thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


	14. Chapter 14

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu/Shindenshin Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

 _-Konoha Stadium, 1 hour before the Chunin Exam Finals-_

Karin and Ino sat in the contestants' box and watched as the stadium slowly filled with spectators. Both were silent, mentally getting in the zone for their upcoming fights.

Both had changed their attire for the finals, having gone shopping together on one of their light training days and purchased new outfits specifically for the tournament. Or, rather, Ino had dragged Karin along.

Ino's outfit was a black top and black pants. Unlike her normal outfits, her stomach was not on display. Purple, Ino's favorite color, and the color her clothes normally were, was still present along the edges and seams. On her back was a crest than Ino had personally designed. It was a large circle, that began with the Uzumaki spiral pattern, but in the center the spiral ended, and a small Yamanaka crest was found. The crest was, of course, in purple.

Karin had also opted for black as a primary color, in fact her outfit was very similar to Ino's. The main differences were that Karin used the same shade of red as her hair for the secondary color, and on her back was just the Uzumaki Crest, also in red.

Around them, the other finalists were also getting ready for their own fights, and an eerie silence hung over the competitors box.

- _With Naruto-_

Naruto had the utmost confidence in both Ino and Karin, but that didn't prevent him from being a nervous wreck as he sat in the stands. That being said, the fact that he was surrounded by friends and family helped keep him, at least outwardly, calm.

To Naruto's right sat his pseudo-brother, best friend, and teammate: Sasuke Uchiha. On Sasuke's right was his wife, and Naruto's other teammate, Sakura Uchiha. Seated on Naruto's left was his future clansman, Kiba, and on the other side of Kiba sat Tsume, Hana, and a variety of members of the Inuzuka clan.

Directly behind Nartuo were Inoichi and his wife, his future in-laws, and seated around them were Shikaku, Yoshino, Choza, Choza's wife, Shizune, holding baby Nawaki, Kurenai, holding baby Mirai, and Asuma.

In front of Naruto were many of the other members of the Konoha 12 and their friends. Choji, Tenten, Shino, Lee, Neji, and Hinata to name a few. It seemed like the whole of Naruto's group of friends was around him supporting Ino and Karin, something for which he was truly thankful.

- _The Kage Box-_

Gaara and Tsunade were seated in grand chairs overlooking the whole of the stadium. Gaara was attended by his brother Kankuro, and two guards, while Tsunade was with Jiraya, members of the Hokage Guard Platoon, and Kakashi, the proctor for the day's events.

When it was time to begin the tournament, Tsunade stood and strode to the front of the Kage Box before speaking in a loud and booming voice.

"Ladies & Gentleman, I welcome you to the finals of these Chunin Exams. Before the tournament begins I would ask you all to join me in a moment of silence, as we honor the memory of my Sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Lord Third, who gave his life in defense of this village during a chunin exam final held in this very stadium just a few years ago."

The stadium fell silent, one could have heard a pin drop on the other side of the arena. Tsunade silently offered a prayer for the memory of her sensei, before continuing.

"Thank You, as you know, blame for the death of Lord Third lies solely with Orochimaru. He had murdered the Yondaime Kazekage, and was impersonating him. Suna was manipulated, but they have atoned for that and remain firm friends of the Leaf. As such, the sitting Kazekage is here in Konoha for these finals, the first time the sitting Kazekage has been in Konoha in more than a decade. I would like to formally welcome the Godaime Kazekage, Lord Gaara, to Konoha, and offer my wishes that his time here only serve to further the bonds between leaf and sand."

There was a roar of applause as Gaara stood and joined Tsunade at the front of the box, before offering everyone in the stadium a bow. He lingered for just a moment, before quickly returning to his seat, the Kazekage wasn't one for pomp and circumstance.

Tsunade then quickly moved to wrap up her speech, eager for the days events to begin. "And now, let's meet the proctor for these finals. A shinobi who doesn't need an introduction, but I'll attempt to do so anyways. He is one of Konoha's most famous ninja, and according to rumor he has copied over one thousand jutsu. He is a student of Lord 4th, and was the sensei to the current heads of both the Uzumaki and Uchiha Clans. Just last week, he became a father to an adorable little boy that I'm proud to call my grandson. Ladies & Gentleman, My son-in-law, Kakashi Senju!"

As Tsunade turned around and returned to her seat there was a swirl of leaves on the floor of the arena as Kakashi shushined into view. "Maa. Thank you for the introduction, Hokage-sama. We will begin the day with 4 1v1v1 matches, after which there will be a one hour break before the remaining four shinobi will participate in more traditional 1v1 matches, and we will conclude the night with the final match."

Kakashi then gestured towards the competitors' box and said "Now let us welcome the first set of combatants: Karin Uzumaki of Konoha, Tsubasa Hamida of Suna, and Hokaido Kamiya of Taki!"

The crowd roared as the genin of the sand and waterfall made their way out into the arena. Karin was only a few feet behind them, but before she could get out of the competitors box a hand grabbed her own, holding her back.

Karin turned around to find Ino, staring at her with a look of determination. "Show them our power." Ino had been thinking of and referring to herself as an Uzumaki, and not a Yamanaka, ever since she had realized she was in love with Naruto.

"Of course, Ino-sama. I won't fail you." Karin replied. No further words needed to be said. Both of them were on a mission. After a quick nod from Ino, Karin turned around and marched out into the arena.

The three genin took up their positions, standing in a triangle around Kakashi. He took a brief look at each of them, confirming that they were ready, before beginning the fight. To the surprise of everyone in the stadium, including the combatants, all three of them made the exact same opening move.

Each of the genin jumped back, putting more distance between them and their competitors. As they did, each one of them pulled out a scroll and unsealed the contents.

For Tsubasa Hamida of Suna, the contents of the scroll turned out to be a puppet. This particular puppet had the lower body of a horse, and the upper body of a human. "I've heard that in a far away land, the people live in fear of creatures like this." The genin taunted, "let me show you why, meet my puppet, the Centaur."

The Waterfall shinobi, Hakaido Kamiya, unsealed a large amount of water, which settled into large puddle, or perhaps a small pond, in one portion of the circular arena.

For Karin, what she unsealed was a scroll and a pen. Normally, Fuinjutsu was not capable of being written in the middle of combat, but due to their natural affinity for the sealing arts, the Uzumaki were the exception.

Karin was fortunate, her scrawny appearance had caused both of her opponents to write her off as not being any challenge, and were focusing on each other, assuming that once they knocked the stronger opponent out, the weak looking kunoichi from Konoha would prove an easy victory. That was their mistake.

Karin took advantage of the fact that she was being ignored to study her enemies. _Hamida-san is clearly from the puppeteer core. I need to be on the watch for hidden weapons, and I can't let anything touch me, it will likely be poison. The trick will be taking out the puppeteer himself. Perhaps I can use the fact Kamiya-san is taking up all of Hamida-san's focus to my advantage and sneak up without being noticed._

Karin then studied her other opponent. _Kamiya-san unsealed water, and is probably much more skilled with the water element than I am, after all I've only been working on it for a month. It would be a mistake to try to use elemental ninjutsu in this fight._

 _Kamiya-san also seems to be a long range fighter, as all I've seen is the use of water ninjutsu to keep the puppet away, though that may just be due to the fact that fighting a puppet at close range is a risky move, t_ _o_ _o easy to get poisoned. Still, Kamiya-san isn't even using shuriken or kunai, just ninjutsu. Could it be that my opponent is a ninjutsu specialist whose skills in other areas are lacking?_

At that moment Karin's mind was made up, a strategy had been decided. She quickly began writing on some paper, making a couple of different seals before she put her plan in action.

 _-With Karin's opponents-_

The fight between sand and waterfall had been raging for five minutes. The Centaur puppet was armed with a bow and a quiver of poison laced arrows, and was constantly firing on its opponent. The Taki-nin countered by using the Water style: Water Bullet and Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu to either deflect the arrows or counter attack. Neither combatant seemed willing to turn it into a close quarters battle, instead preferring to trade volleys from long range.

Suddenly, from the opposite end of the stadium, a small cluster of Karin clones, approximately eight of them, charged forward, rushing the puppeteer. The Centaur puppet was able to hit 4 of them with arrows, dispelling them, but with a final burst, the remaining four clones managed to sneak past the puppet and attack its master. The application of a tag cutting Tsubasa's ability to use chakra, and a barrage of Uzumaki Taijutsu, were all it took before Kakashi announced that the unconscious Suna-nin had been eliminated.

Karin was immediately under attack from the Taki-nin, as a barrage of water bullets dispelled the remaining clones. Hakaido then looked around, attempting to locate the original Karin, but she was well hidden, and the Waterfall genin was unable to do so.

Hakaido quickly moved, standing in front of the water before turning around to face the rest of the arena, assuming that would prevent Karin attacking from behind. "Where are you?" The Takin-nin called out, and was surprised to hear "right behind you" as two arms grabbed ahold, and soon a kunai was being held in front of the shocked Waterfall genin's neck. "Please surrender," Karin said, "I don't want to have to kill you."

Quickly, Hakaido tried to run through the hand-signs for the water bullet jutsu, but found the water unresponsive, "Huh?" Karin then forced her captive to turn around, revealing the original Karin standing on top of the water, which had been turned into a solid block of ice by a Fuinjutsu tag she had applied. "I said, please surrender" the clone holding the captive said again. Seeing their primary weapon frozen and unable to be used, the Taki shinobi had no choice but to surrender, and Kakashi quickly declared Karin the winner of the bout.

"Yatta! Thattaway Karin-chan! You Won! Believe It! Dattebayo!" Naruto was out of his seat and screaming as soon as the fight was called, but Sasuke quickly reached out and forced his friend to sit down. "You're a Clan Head dobe, act like it and show a little restraint." The Uchiha chided.

"You're right, Sasuke. I just got real excited and couldn't help myself, sorry." Naruto said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, having realized he committed a faux pas. "Hn. If you got that loud for your clanswoman, I'm going to need some ear plugs if your fiance wins her fight." Sasuke remarked.

"You mean when Ino-chan/Ino-pig wins, Sasuke/Sasuke-kun" both Naruto and Saukra said in perfect unison, causing Sasuke to almost appear to be pouting at the fact that his wife had sided with Naruto over him. Almost.

Unnoticed due to the fact that Naruto's boisterous celebration had drawn everyone's attention, Kiba had a small grin on his face. _Way to go Karin!_ He thought, before looking down to see Akamaru, tail wagging, clearly celebration Karin's victory in his own way.

Kiba reached down to pat his constant companion on the head. "Our girl did well, huh Akamaru? I guess she can be pretty badass when she wants to." "Arf." Akamaru barked in agreement.

- _The Kage Box-_

"An impressive display, she looked weak. I can't believe she beat both Kazekage-sama's puppeteer and one of my top genin." Shibuki, the leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village remarked. While not technically a Kage, as the leader of a village that had finalists in the competition he was allowed to sit with the leaders of the great villages.

"Kankuro" Gaara calmly said, calling for his brother. "As the leader of our puppeteer core, please analyze Tsubasa's performance for Hokage-dono and Shibuki-san."

"Tsubasa's puppet is dangerous and well designed, there's no doubt about that." The Sand Village's top currently active puppet user began "but the kid committed one of the cardinal sins of being a puppet utilizing ninja and forgot about one of their opponents. The kid's got skills, no doubt about that, but I don't think the awareness of a chunin is there."

The village leaders nodded, all three agreeing with Kankuro's assessment. "I think your shinobi is too one dimensional to be promoted, Shibuki-san." Tsunade said, changing the focus. "Karin isn't very physically strong, and Kamiya-san could have easily broken free from her hold, but as soon as the water was neutralized the match was over." "I agree, Hakaido-san needs to work on being a more balanced ninja" Shibuki said, completely in agreement with Tsuande. "I concur as well" Gaara added.

"As for the Uzumaki" Shibuki said. "Very resourceful, the girl clearly has a good head on her." "She doesn't look like much, but the Uzumaki are a stubborn, resourceful, and determined bunch. I'd never bet against one." Tsunade said, while thinking about the money she had won as a result of a bet she had placed on the match.

"I think she has potential, but I will withhold judgement until after her next match." Gaara said, wrapping up the discussion since the next fight was about to begin.

 _-The Competitor Box-_

As Kakashi began the next match, Karin returned to the competitor box, only to be practically tackled by Ino as soon as she set foot inside. "You did it Karin! That was so cool!" the blond kunoichi said.

"Thank you, Ino-sama." Karin said, offering a bow after she recovered from Ino's surprise attack. Then, Karin began to get something off her chest. "Ino-sama. If we meet in the next round I'm going to forfeit, it is more important that you get promoted than I do. I'd be glad to do my part to make sure you take your rightful place as my superior, and the lady and matriarch of the Uzumaki."

*Slap* "How. Dare. you." Ino said, glaring at Karin. "Ino-sama?" Karin was hurt and confused. She had only offered to help...why had Ino reacted so violently?

Ino wasn't done though. "That's such an obvious ploy, you surrender to help me advance, the judges won't give me any credit for that. I need to show off my skills, not advance on technicalities. If we fight, I need you to fight me at your best, Karin. That's an order."

"But Ino-sama...I could never forgive myself if I hurt the lady of my clan." Karin protested. Ino, mini-rant over, just smiled back. "Then it's a good thing I'm not technically part of the Uzumaki Clan yet, huh? Now come on, we need to watch this fight and scout our possible opponents."

- _The Stadium's Control Booth-_

The Co-Coordinators for the exams took in the second fight, not really paying too close attention, with the tournament firmly in the hands of Kakashi, and to a lesser extent Tsunade, their jobs were largely done.

"So Naruto's clanswoman looked impressive." Temari said, trying to spark a conversation. "I heard she's now betrothed to Kiba. That's what, the fifth and sixth members of your little group to be put into arranged marriages, I didn't realize Konoha's clans relied on that practice so much."

Shikamaru sighed, _I was enjoying the silence and she has to go and try to have a conversation?_ _W_ _hat a drag, now I have to pretend like I've been paying attention instead of just cloud watching._ "It's troublesome, but there will only be more of them soon." "Oh, how so? Temari asked, glad she had gotten a response from her on-again-off-again crush that would allow her to continue the conversation.

"It's a drag, but this next year we'll all be turning 17 and 18. Most of us are Clan heirs, and those that aren't are high ranking clan members, except Lee. Shinobi live short lives, but having kids is important for the clans, so they like to have their high ranking members married by the time they turn 19. Many clans will arrange a marriage if the heir or heiress isn't already engaged or in a serious relationship by the time they turn 17."

"Does that include you?" Temari asked, somewhat hopefully. Not that she wanted to get married, or leave Suna, but she definitely had a thing for the lazy Nara. "It's a drag, but yeah probably. I don't see myself getting engaged of my own choice between now and my birthday. I'm hoping my dad will just set me up with an average girl from one of the more respectable civilian families."

He turned back to pretend to watch the fight, but actually watch the clouds, causing him to miss Temari glaring daggers at him. _The nerve of him_ she thought.

"Do Konoha's clans not require the spouse of the Clan Head to be a shinobi as well?" "They do, and it's troublesome, because all I want is an average wife, and none of the eligible kunoichi are anywhere close to average." Shikamaru responded, prompting Temari to smack him in the back of his head with her fan.

 _What the hell was that for_? _Troublesome woman._ Shikamaru wondered, before putting it out of his mind, and resuming his covert participation in his favorite hobby.

- _The Arena Floor-_

The second fight was over, and the three combatants for the third fight, Ino Yamanaka, Daisuke, and Kazuo Hyuga, all of Konoha, stood around Kakashi in a triangle, ready to go.

Ino was both nervous and pumped up. She was fighting a main branch Hyuga, so Taijutsu was out of the question there, and Daisuke, her teammate whose abilities she did not know all that much about.

As Ino tried to come up with a strategy, the Foundation Shinobi was also trying to finalize his plan. He knew he was going to attack and take out the Hyuga first, but he had yet to figure out a way for him to throw the fight against Ino while making it look like he had been going all out.

If he managed to pull it off, it would make Ino look very good in the eyes of the judges. He'd have beaten an unbranded Hyuga, and she'd have beaten him, so via that transitive property she'd have beaten an unbranded Hyuga, an impressive feat.

He had been racking his brain for several days, and thought of a million different ways to defeat Kazuo, but had yet to come up with a good way to hide the fact that he was going to let Ino win.

When Kakashi began the fight, Daisuke immediately lunged for his Hyuga opponent, who had headed towards Ino. The future Uzumaki had followed a similar strategy as her soon to be clanswoman, jumping to put more space between her and her opponents as she decided on her next move.

Daisuke wasted no time, his blade was drawn and he was attempting to best Kazuo in a battle of Kenjutsu vs. Taijutsu. Normally the sword would have the advantage over the bare hand, but as a member of the main branch of the Hyuga, and a member of one of the most prestigious houses within the Hyuga Clan, Kazuo was an expert in the rotation technique, more than enough of a defense against the Foundation genin's blade.

Out of the corner of his eye, Daisuke noticed that Ino was writing in a scroll, and while dodging one of his opponent's gentle fist strikes, managed to launch a shuriken in his teammate's direction, he didn't want it to seem like he was going easy on her after all. He threw two more for good measure, before jumping back on the offensive against the Hyuga.

Ino had to stop writing for a moment in order to concentrate on dodging, but continued to work on her Fuinjutsu. Over the 10 months since she had been betrothed to Naruto, and with the benefit of a plethora of Uzumaki manuals on Fuinjutsu, Ino had become quite adept at the sealing arts, she was solidly high chunin level in the area, maybe low jonin.

Most people took years to get that far, but it seemed that the Uzumaki were just as good at teaching Fuinjutsu as they were at mastering it, because the scrolls she had read had helped her to learn the skill at an alarmingly fast rate, even without the natural affinity for sealing that member of the Uzumaki Clan possessed.

In fact, some of the scrolls were specifically geared at helping non Uzumaki who married into the clan learn their Fuinjutsu with the goal of getting non-blood members of the Uzumaki Clan up to par in the sealing arts as quickly as possible. Those texts had been especially helpful.

Having not been able to come up with an acceptable strategy, Ino had decided to take a gamble, and was working on one of the most advanced and complex Fuinjutsu she knew. One that, if she was able to get it off, would essentially guarantee her victory. The problem was that it took her several minutes of uninterrupted writing time to finish it.

As she wrote, the crowd roared, causing her to look up and see what caused the commotion. Her eyes widened, Daisuke was down. Kazuo had managed to land a couple hits. Daisuke had been able to dodge several and avoid the brunt of the damage, but a couple of his chakra points were sealed.

Assuming Daisuke would be down for a while, the Hyuga rushed towards Ino, planning to come back to finish off the Foundation genin later.

- _The_ _S_ _tands-_

As Hinata watched Ino dodge her clansman's attacks, a small smile broke out on her face. While she had initially been understanding of the fact that Ino didn't have a say in her betrothal, the more it looked like Naruto and Ino were falling in love, the more jealous the Hyuga had become, and there was a part of her that hoped that Ino failed to become a chunin, thus delaying the wedding.

She was well aware of the fact that her Father was actively soliciting marriage proposals for her from the various other houses within the Hyuga Clan, and that she would never be allowed to be with her beloved. There was even a part of her that, like the stuttering, shy, weak Hinata of old, just wanted Naruto to find happiness, even if it was with someone else.

There was also certainly a selfish part of her that wanted Naruto to stay single unless he was with her. This Hinata, a reflection of the confident, strong medic that she had become, viewed Naruto as being rightfully hers, and hers alone. Even if she wouldn't be allowed to wed him, perhaps she could convince him to carry on an affair on the side of her, most likely loveless, marriage.

In short, Hinata was conflicted and confused. Ino was a friend, but she was also Hinata's biggest obstacle to achieving her dream of standing by Naruto's side, as his lover. _I'll root for my fellow Hyuga._ She decided. _I need more time to sort all of this out. I'm not ready for Naruto-kun to get married yet. If I eventually decide that I just want Naruto-kun to be happy, then I'll root for Ino at the next chunin exams._

- _The Arena-_

Thankfully for Ino, Yamanaka Taijutsu was largely based on evasion, because the Hyuga was on the attack, and she couldn't allow a single hit to land on her. _I don't have the chakra reserves to force a chakra point open like Naruto-kun did against Neji, I can't let this guy hit me!_

As Ino continued to frantically dodge, and try to think up some way to counter attack, Daisuke was struggling to try to release his chakra points. Due to the fact that only some of his points were sealed, he could move his limbs, but his mobility was severely restricted. As it was, he would be unable to do anything to complete his mission, or even stave off his own elimination.

- _A Private Box in the Arena-_

Danzo scowled. It was clear that the plan was in jeopardy. _Perhaps it is time then,_ he thought. _If the Yamanaka is to get promoted it seems my agent will need to assist her, but with him holding back so much it will be rather difficult. This may raise some questions from the Hokage, but there is nothing pointing him to me, so I should be fine._

All of the Foundation members that Danzo had put through the academy were far stronger than their classmates. Most were high genin upon entering the academy. Thanks to the intense training Danzo had personally put him through since joining Team Sasuke, Daisuke was currently a Jonin in all but name.

In order to keep their true strength secret, Danzo had seals placed on his covert agents that had gone through the academy. These seals prevented them from accessing most of their chakra network. Currently, Daisuke was only able to access about a high genin's worth of chakra. Now it seemed that Danzo would have to allow him access to more of his network.

Danzo ran through a few hand seals, and while directing his chakra towards his downed minion, released the seal on Daisuke. Then, satisfied, he resumed his analytical analysis of the fight.

-The Arena-

The sudden rush of chakra Daisuke felt coursing through him was enough to force the chakra points that were closed back open. As he stood up, making sure to stagger to try to continue to hide his true strength, it was perfectly clear to him what had happened.

 _Danzo-sama must have released the seal on me. He's likely quite upset that I almost failed the mission. If I don't succeed I'm in for quite a punishment._ Once he made a show of regaining his footing, he immediately picked his blade back up and rushed into the fray. _Hold on Ino-san, I won't fail my mission!_

As he ran towards the other combatants, he recognized hand signals that Ino ran through, and was surprised to see a wall of dirt appear between the Yamanaka and Hyuga. _An Earth Style: Mud Wall? I wasn't aware that she had begun working on elemental Ninjutsu._

Ino meanwhile was crouched behind the wall, frantically writing on a scroll, desperate to finish the Fuinjutsu she had been working on. _I can't match this guy in Taijutsu, he's moving around too much for me to use a Yamanaka Jutsu, and while Earth is my element, it took me a while to get the basics down, and the Mud Wall was one of the only techniques I had time to learn. I need to buy myself more time._

She quickly finished a couple of paper bombs, which when using Uzumaki Secret Fuinjutsu, took just a couple of seconds to make, as they required only a couple of strokes. It was perfect timing, because just as she finished them, and started the detonation process, her opponent leapt over the wall.

Ino had been expecting something like that, and quickly stuck a paper bomb to him while he was in mid air, and then channeled a bunch of chakra into her feet, allowing her to jump far enough to be relatively safe from the blast.

It was only a low level explosion, Kazuo wasn't down, but he did take some damage. As soon as the smoke cleared Daisuke was immediately upon him again, and Ino quickly took advantage of the situation to continue working on her more complicated Fuinjutsu. Within one minute, she finally put the finishing touches on it, and with the ink still wet, activated the technique.

"Uzuamki Fuinjutsu: Massive Chakra Trap!" She called, before quickly scrunching the paper into a ball, which she then flung towards her opponents.

The Massive Chakra Trap was a much more complicated version of the same Chakra Trap she and Karin had used in the 2nd Round. It covered a much wider area, and unlike the original, was not a stealthy technique. Enemies would be able to see it coming, the question was: would they be able to avoid it?

With his Byakugan, Kazuo clearly saw Ino throw a ball of paper at them, but was primarily focused on beating back the blade of Daisuke's Tanto, and didn't really have time to react. Daisuke purposely chose to ignore it, after all, he was planning on letting her win.

Ino's throw was a good one, and the ball of paper and seals landed right next to the other two genin, and immediately began to work.

Unlike the original Chakra trap, which sent out small tendrils of Fuinjutsu to snare their unaware opponents, in something similar in appearance to the Nara's Shadow Possession Jutsu, The Massive Chakra Trap took the appearance of ripples on a pond, as a solid black wall of Fuinjutsu headed out like waves from all sides of the ball.

Both Daisuke and Kazuo were helpless against it, quickly trapped and paralyzed by the seals. Ino had originally planned on using the Mind Transfer technique, in a Uzumaki/Yamanaka Combination attack, to get her opponents to surrender, but after barely surviving her encounter with Kazuo, thought that it would be better if she ended the match as quickly as possible. So instead she ran forward and held kunai to the throats of both the other combatants.

Resigned to their defeat, both surrendered, and the crowd roared in approval as Ino was declared the winner. Though the voices of a certain blond man and pink haired woman were clearly louder, and stood out amongst the cries of the audience.

- _The Stands-_

Sasuke Uchiha was a proud man, but at the moment he couldn't possibly be more embarrassed. On either side of him, his wife and his best friend were on their feet, roaring at the top of their lungs in celebration of Ino's victory. Clan heads and their wives were supposedly to appear to be cold and emotionless when in public, at least according to several Uchiha texts, this display was absolutely shameful.

His body seemed to shrink, as if he was trying to make himself invisible or hide himself away, their behavior was unbecoming for such high ranking members of clans. _Didn't I just tell them after the first fight? I guess I understand the dobe,_ _he's my brother, but he's still the dobe. B_ _ut Sakura? Why does she insist on shaming the Uchiha Clan like this?_

 _-_ _With the Kage-_

"The boy with no last name was able to force open a couple of chakra points? Impressive. What is it about your village having orphans that become incredibly strong shinobi, Hokage-dono?" Taki's leader asked.

"Indeed, he was most impressive." Gaara added. "The Hyuga wasn't bad either. Yamanaka-san was lucky that the boy was able to return to the match. Her Fuinjutsu was impressive, but it took too long, clearly she wouldn't have been able to beat the Hyuga without help." His voice had just a tint of sadness in it.

 _Uzumaki Naruto...I want you to be happy my friend, I want this girl to show she is worthy of being a chunin. But I'm not going to compromise my honor as a Kazekage, she hasn't shown enough yet. For your sake I hope she does."_

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "Ino won, but you're right, it had more to do with luck than skill. We'll see what happens in the next round."

- _The End of the First Round-_

When all four fights concluded, Kakashi brought the four semi-finalists back onto the arena floor. Karin and Ino stood next to each other, along with ninja from Taki and Suna, waiting to hear who their next opponent would be.

Kakashi stepped forward to address the crowd. "We'll now have a short 1 hour break for the competitors to rest. That being said, let's go ahead and fight out what the semifinal matchups will be."

The crowd roared in agreement, and at the top of the stadium a video board began shuffling through the four names.

For the Uzumaki and soon-to-be Uzumaki, the board seemed to take forever, but the matchup it finally displayed caused their heart to sink.

"The first semi final matchup will be Karin Uzumaki of Konoha vs. Ino Yamanaka of Konoha!" Kakashi announced, getting a mixed reaction from the overwhelmingly pro-Leaf Village crowd. It was certainly going to be an interesting fight, but most in the stands would have preferred that it happened during the finals, not the semis.

- _The Stands-_

Naruto was especially distraught, and appeared visibly dejected at the fact that Karin and Ino would be forced to fight each other. In the several minutes since the hour break had begun, he had said nothing, and done nothing but silently stare at the floor.

Suddenly, his inner turmoil was interrupted, a hand was on his shoulder, and his future father-in-law was asking Naruto to join him for a walk.

Naruto followed Inoichi as they descended down several flights of stairs, before arriving on the ground level of the stadium, underneath the spectator stands. They then made their way over to a door that led into the stadium's bowels. The door was guarded by two Akimichi, but given their close relationship with the Yamanaka, they let Inoichi and Naruto pass and enter into the contestant area.

They found Karin and Ino sitting in a small room in the medical wing, silent, and staring off into space, lost in their thoughts. The two girls were snapped back to reality by Naruto and Inoichi's appearance, but before any congratulations could be offered, Karin blurted out:

"Naruto-sama! Please, order me to forfeit or throw the fight. I don't want to endanger Ino-sama's chances at promotion, but she insists that I fight her at my best." "Oh no you don't!" Ino roared back. "Naruto Uzumaki I swear, if you order her to not fight me at her best I'm going to make your life a living hell up until the wedding!"

"Ladies, please!" Inoichi implored. "Naruto's already upset enough about the fact that his two most precious people are going to have to fight, don't make this any harder on him."

Both females stopped arguing, and looked over to Naruto. The whole time he'd been in the room he hadn't said a word, and instead had been looking down, staring at the floor. He hadn't actually said a word since the fight between Karin and Ino was announced, and had been rather distant the whole time.

Naruto was at the center of both Ino and Karin's universes, though obviously in different ways. For one, he was a ray of sunshine, the person who had lifted her out of despair and brightened her world.

For the other, he was the hero who saved her from abuse, he was the banner around which all other Uzumaki could rally, he was the master to whom she owed her life, and had sworn her total devotion and obedience. Both hated seeing him like that. It reminded them of his birthday, or the time he found out who his father was.

"Naruto-kun" Ino said softly as she approached him, quarrel with Karin completely forgotten, focus entirely on her ray of sunshine. She interlocked one of her hands with his, while her other hand forced his head up, letting her look into his eyes, those eyes that always gave away what he was feeling, no matter how much he tried to hide.

"I knew there was a chance you two would have to fight, but I hoped it wouldn't come to this." Naruto said, very softly, eyes full of sorrow. "Family shouldn't have to fight family."

"That's right, Naruto-kun. We're a family." Ino said, smiling. She then gave him a quick kiss before resting her head on his shoulder. "You and I are a family, and in time we'll grow our family. As for Karin, she's family too, and I don't just mean in the sense of being from the same clan. As far as I'm concerned she's my sister."

"Ino-sama..." Karin sounded astonished that Ino valued her so much. "Sometimes families face challenges, Naruto-kun. But we'll get through this. Karin and I are only going to be enemies for a few minutes, and as soon as the match is called we'll go back to being sisters. Besides, this is a great chance for the Uzumaki Clan to showcase its talents."

"My daughter has a good point, this is an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your clan to potential clients, Naruto." Inoichi added.

Naruto seemed lost in thought for a few moments, as he held Ino close to him, resting his own head on hers, which was still on his shoulder. As with the previous times he had been this distraught, she seemed to have a magical ability to calm him down, comfort him, and uplift his thoughts and spirit. Holding her close allowed him to focus, and to think. Finally, raised his head and opened his eyes, having made up his mind.

"Alright Karin-chan. I want you to fight Ino-chan at full strength. Make this a great fight, but also make sure Ino-chan shows off enough that the judges will promote her. Once you're confident she's done enough to become a chunin, I want you to beat her." "Huh?" came the response from both Karin and Ino. Wanting Karin to win...that was unexpected.

"Between the two of you, show the world that the Uzumaki can't be messed with. Then, Karin, show the world how powerful our Kekkai Genkai are. I order you to let Ino show enough to get promoted, but beat her. That being said, I'll be rooting for Ino-chan."

"I understand, Naruto-sama." Karin said, still not liking it, but unwilling to disobey. Ino meanwhile was still a bit upset that her fiance had ordered Karin to beat her, but at least he'd be rooting for her.

"Don't think I'm going to let you beat me that easily, Karin." Ino said, getting fired up for the fight. "Ino-sama...did you mean what you said? About me being your sister?" Karin responded, still moved by the words.

Ino quickly separated herself from Naruto and gave Karin a warm embrace. "Of course I did, Karin. We've spent so much time together these past few months, and we've gotten really close. At first I thought you might just be my best friend, but then I realized that you're not just my friend, you're a part of my family. As far as I'm concerned, we're sisters, except for during this fight."

"Then I'll do my best to give you a good fight today, Nee-sama." Karin responded.

Their touching moment was interrupted by Inoichi coughing. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Naruto and I need to get going. Whatever happens Ino, your mother and I are very proud of you."

After the goodbyes and well wishes, Naruto and Inoichi left the room, leaving Karin and Ino alone again, though this time in a very different mood. Instead of despairing about the fight, both of them were focused, getting pumped up for their bout.

As Inoichi and Naruto returned to their seats, Inoichi switched to being an overprotective father, and asked Naruto about his orders to Karin. "So, Naruto. You really want Karin to beat my daughter?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not at all, as I said, I'm rooting for Ino-chan. That being said, I think Karin wins this fight 9 times out of 10, and I was just making sure that she allows Ino to show off enough to be considered for promotion before her victory."

"And what makes you think Karin is better than my daughter?" "I'm really proud of Ino-chan, she's improved a lot since I came back from my training trip, but she's not on Karin-chan's level." "How so?" Inoichi asked, eager for an opportunity to stand up for his daughter, and curious as to why Naruto thought his own fiance would lose.

"Let's go skill by skill." Naruto said. "Ino-chan has an advantage in Taijutsu, I'll give her that. Turning this into a close quarters fight is her best beat for beating Karin-chan, but both of them know that, so Karin-chan will be actively trying to avoid one.

"Ino-chan's Fuinjutsu is better than probably 90% of the shinobi in this village, and she knows plenty of Uzumaki Fuinjutsu, but just because she knows the techniques doesn't mean she has the Uzumaki affinity for Fuinjutsu. It takes way less chakra for Karin-chan to make a seal than it takes Ino-chan to make the same one. Also, that Fuinjutsu that took Ino the whole fight to write, Karin can make it in less than one minute."

"Ok, so Taijutsu to Ino and Fuinjutsu to Karin...what about Ninjutsu?" Inoichi asked.

"Based on that last fight, Ino-chan has an earth affinity. Karin-chan has a water affinity, so again advantage Ino-chan." Naruto began, "That being said, thanks to the shadow clone training technique Karin-chan has a pretty good command of her water affinity, and knows a couple high level techniques. Given how long it takes for people without access to multiple shadow clones as a training technique to learn their affinity, I'm guessing Ino-chan only knows low level Earth techniques."

Inoichi nodded, Ino had the type advantage, but if Karin used a higher level technique they would essentially cancel each other out. "So that's a draw then. I still don't see how you think Karin beats Ino 9 times out of 10." "Well, we're just getting to the two big ones." Naruto said. "First up is strategy. Ino-chan is certainly smart, easily smarter than me, she's good at strategy, but Karin-chan is almost Nara-level in terms of her genius, she has the advantage."

And finally, we come to chakra reserves. Karin-chan has Ino-chan totally outclassed here." Naruto said. "Uzumaki naturally have insanely high levels of chakra. As a genin, Karin has enough chakra to make 12 shadow clones and still have enough to fight at close to full strength. She also didn't use very much chakra in her first round fight."

Inoichi suddenly realized just why his daughter was outclassed: "Ino doesn't even have enough chakra to make one shadow clone and fight, she can make one, but it takes way too much chakra for her to have much left in the tank."

"And on top of that, the Fuinjutsu that Ino-chan used in the first round took probably 1/3 of her chakra reserves, she can't recover all of that in just one hour." Naruto added.

"Don't get me wrong, Inoichi-san, there is absolutely no question in my mind, and in my heart, that I want Ino-chan to win. I believe in her, and I think she can, but I'm trying to make sure that above all she gets promoted. If Ino-chan loses but has a good fight, it's more likely that she'll be promoted than if she won because Karin-chan wasn't going all out."

"I suppose I see your logic, but that's still an awfully big risk, Naruto." Naruto just smiled back at his future father-in-law. "Trust me on this, Inoichi-san. The person who wants Ino-chan to get promoted the most isn't me, or even Ino-chan herself, it's Karin-chan. She'll do everything possible to get your daughter promoted." "I hope you're right, Naruto."

- _After the 1 Hour Break-_

With the audience settling back into their seats, Karin and Ino stood on opposite ends of Kakashi as he welcomed back the crowd and reminded them who the first fighters were. Both kunoichi had worked out some sort of strategy, and were preparing to put them into play.

Ino wanted a close range fight, and she wanted the fight to be over quickly. She knew she was at a disadvantage in chakra, and that her best chance at besting Karin was in Taijutsu. She planned to charge straight into battle with the Uzumaki Style, and use her limited elemental ninjutsu as back up if necessary, unaware that Karin also knew elemental ninjutsu now.

Karin meanwhile planned on making it a fight that was long and drawn out, preferably at long range. She wanted to outlast Ino. Of course, she would still have to fight in close quarters at some point, after all her orders were to allow Ino to showcase enough of her abilities to get promoted, but even at close range, where she was at a disadvantage, she was confident she had enough chakra reserves to be able to outlast Ino.

Kakashi quickly began the fight, and Karin decided to indulge Ino for a bit. Both rushed towards each other, and a Taijutsu battle broke out. Karin was primarily using the Uzumaki style, while Ino was countering by using the defensive and evasive style of the Yamanaka Clan, planning to take advantage of the poor defense offered by the Uzumaki style to switch over to said style and counterattack when Karin's attack lost steam.

In the meantime, Karin was forcing Ino back, over to a particular corner of the arena. Not all of the water from Karin's first round match had evaporated, and there was still some that she could use. Just as she got close enough to the water to be able to use ninjutsu, Ino began to see openings and launched her counter, switching from the Yamanka to the Uzumaki style herself.

Karin ran through a few hand signs, launching the Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu to try to force Ino back. Ino was forced to interrupt her attack and run through hand signs of her own. "Earth Style: Mud wall!" She got hit by a couple water bullets, but the wall was soon up, and as she hid behind it, she took the opportunity to set up one of the few other earth style techniques that she knew.

Karin frowned as Ino got the mud wall up, though on the inside she was actually pleased. Despite her words to Ino in Naruto and Inoichi's presence, she was still quite conflicted about this fight. When her jutsu was over, Karin ran towards the wall, intent on taking the attacking initiative once more. She leapt over the wall, launching a kick at the spot she thought Ino would be in, only to find that her "sister" wasn't there.

Karin stopped for just a minute, but that was all Ino needed. Hands reached up from underground, pulling Karin down until only her head was above ground, the rest buried in the dirt, then, Ino emerged.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu, complete." Ino said, grinning. She had practically begged Asuma to teach it to her, having heard about Kakashi's use of it from Naruto. Asuma had then gone to Kakashi in order to learn the technique himself, before teaching it to Ino.

Despite all of that, she took no time to enjoy the success, even as she emerged she was already running through more hand signs. "That was something Asuma-sensei taught me, now take a look at something Kurenai-sensei taught me." she said, mentally thinking: _I'm sorry Karin, but I need to do this if I'm going to win._ _Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique._

Karin, hearing Ino bring up the Sarutobi Clan head and his wife, looked over to the area of the stands where she knew many of the clan heads, including Naruto, were seated. Caught in the Genjutu as she was, instead of seeing a group of people engrossed in the fight, she saw Naruto frowning, and glaring at her.

"Pathetic. I told you to win, Karin. You've failed me. You're a disgrace to the Uzumaki Clan." She heard Naruto say. In her mind, Naruto stood up, leapt down to the arena floor, and walked over to her. "Naruto-sama, I'm sorry, I've failed you." she said. "Get out." Naruto responded. "What?" "Get out. I herby cancel your membership in the Uzumaki Clan. Get out of Konoha and never come back, go back to Orochimaru or Kusa." "No….Naruto-sama, please, please no!" Karin said, tears now flowing freely, the Uzumaki Clan was everything to her, to be removed from it was...unthinkable.

In her state of heightened emotion, she accidentally activated a Kekkai Genkai, one that she and Naruto had both been trying to learn, but with very little success. Chains materialized from her body, shooting out of the ground and towards Ino, passing through her as if she wasn't there. _...Genjutsu?_ Karin realized, quickly dispelling the technique.

Still trapped in the Headhunter, but now free of the Genjutsu, she spared a glance towards the stands again, Naruto was there, seemingly engrossed in the fight, but clearly nervous and perhaps still upset that Karin and Ino had to fight, confirming to Karin that it had all been a genjutsu. She then located Ino a few meters away, writing in a scroll. _Fuinjutsu, what ever it is, I can't let her get it off_ , Karin decided.

It took Karin a few seconds to figure out how to control her chains, but it was fairly intuitive, and she sent one of them to disrupt Ino while the other focused on digging her out. It seemed that the hard part of chakra chains was actually getting them to materialize. Once she had them, she could will them to do whatever she needed.

- _The Kage Box-_

"Is that girl related to Kushina-sama?" The Taki leader asked, only knowing of the Adamatine Chain technique as something that the famed kunoichi Kushina Uzumaki used. "No, it's just an Uzumaki Clan Kekkai Genkai" Tsunade said, Naruto's own relationship with Kushina was still secret to most people, better to just flat out deny any connection between Kushina and the current Uzumaki Clan.

"Impressive though." Shibuki said, still caught up on the famed technique. "I've been more impressed with Ino-san this fight." Gaara said, pleased that his "brother's" finace was finally showing some skills. "By my count she has used two different styles of Taijutsu, elemental ninjutsu, genjutsu, and fuinjutsu in this tournament." "Yes, much more impressive." Tsunade agreed, also quite pleased at Ino's showing thus far.

- _The Arena-_

Once again, Ino was forced to postpone working on a Fuinjutsu, though this time it was due to the interference of an Uzumaki instead of a Hyuga. The two "sisters" were currently duking it out using the Konoha academy style. Karin had become much more familiar with the style over the past month, but Ino still had the advantage, and was winning the Taijutsu spar.

She was caught of guard when Karin switched to the Kusa style for a counter attack, and was able to land a few good hits in before jumping out onto the small pond that remained. _Ino-sama uses Earth Style, if my water style is going to be effective, I need to use more powerful attacks._

Karin ran through 45 different hand seals before calling out "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" It was the most powerful ninjutsu she had in her repertoire, and she had only learned it thanks to having multiple shadow clones practice it every day for three weeks. Ino was caught out in the open, and immediately threw up another mud wall. Both the Water Dragon and the Mud Wall were B-rank ninjutsu, so theoretically the Mud Wall had the advantage since Doton was strong against Suiton.

However, thanks to the multi-shadow clone training method, Karin was far stronger in her water affinity than Ino was in her earth, and the Dragon slowly overpowered the wall. Meanwhile, Karin was already preparing her next technique, a Fuinjutsu.

 _I have to hope that Ino-sama has shown them enough, it's too difficult for me to go easy on her while making it look like I'm not holding back. If I don't end this soon, it will become clear that I'm purposely prolonging the fight._

As Ino jumped back into the open, the Water Dragon having ruined her Mud Wall, Karin's skill and great speed with Fuinjutsu meant that she was already activating her seal.

A single line of Kanji ran across the water, making the ground around Ino turn into a field of mud. Ino began to move again, but found that this mud was quite sticky, and that while she could still move, it slowed her down considerably. She was running low on chakra, and didn't have enough left to take advantage of the mud with her earth style.

Running across the mud like a shinobi over water, Karin charged and again engaged in a Taijutsu spar, only this time the mud was slowing Ino down, and Karin had the advantage. Ino took blow after blow, until she became desperate, and tried to fire off a Yamanaka Clan Mind Transfer Jutsu, only for it to miss.

When she returned to her body, Karin was holding a Kunai to her neck. "Please surrender, Ino-sama. I'm sorry." Ino just smiled back at her, "Don't be sorry, nee-chan, that was a great fight." she then turned to Kakashi "I forfeit" "The winner is Karin Uzumaki!" Kakashi called out, as the crowd roared in response.

As a precaution, both Karin and Ino were taken to the medical area underneath the stadium. Ino would stay there until discharged, Karin would be allowed to rest until the final match, as would her opponent once the other semifinal match was concluded.

- _The Kage Box-_

"I was impressed with both of them. The Uzumaki continued to look like a chunin, building on her first fight. The Yamanaka's first fight was very sketchy, but I think she had a much better showing this time around. It's just a shame her opponent had those chains or she probably would have won with that genjutsu." Shibuki observed.

"I agree. I believe I can support both of them receiving a promotion." Gaara said. "Then it's unanimous from the Kage" Tsunade said, absolutely beaming. "We'll see what the other judges say."

- _The Stands_ _-_

"If I were judging, I'd say they both showed enough for promotion." Sasuke said, trying to calm down a clearly nervous Naruto. "But you're not judging, that would be a conflict of interest since they were both part of 'Team Sasuke.'" Naruto responded. "For that matter none of the clan heads sitting around us are judging.

"Come to think of it," Sakura chimed in, "I don't think it's ever been explained to me exactly how the judging at these things works." From behind Team 7, Inoichi chimed in to explain:

"The number of judges varies from exam to exam, but all civilian nobles, Daimyos, Kage, and other village leaders who attend serve as judges. Usually, when Konoha hosts, all three of the elders and two clan heads serve as judges as well. The votes of actual shinobi are worth double the vote of the civilian nobles."

"So who are the clan judges this time around?" Kiba asked. "Just Shibi Aburame, everyone else was considered to have a conflict of interest. Tsume responded. "After all, one of the finalists is my future daughter-in-law, another has pretty obvious ties to just about everyone else except Hiashi, but there is also a Hyuga in the finals."

"Well I hope Aburame-dono liked what he saw." Choji spoke up from the row in front of Naruto. "I wouldn't worry too much." Choza responded from two rows above. "Karin-san showed more than enough, she has nothing to worry about. As for Ino-chan, let's just say that Aburame-dono knows how important it is to all of the clans that Uzumaki-dono gets married." he said, nodding to Naruto when he mentioned him."I'd say Ino is on the border of promotion, but I think that securing the future of the Uzumaki clan will be enough to convince Shibi to vote for promotion. I'd be more worried about the civilians."

While the discussion was taking place, the second semi-final was going on, and it wasn't even close. The Suna genin was wiping the floor with the Waterfall village's last remaining participant, and by the time the discussion about judging was over, Kakashi had called the match. There was now another hour break, after which Karin and the Suna genin would fight for the right to be champion of the chunin exams.

For Naruto, Ino, Karin, and most of their friends, there was still a painfully long amount of time that they would have to wait before getting word on if a wedding was in their near future or not.

- _End of Chapter-_

* * *

Sorry for the late update, lots going on and I've not had time to write. In the future I'll try to keep the status of where I am in the writing process in my profile.

For those of you who also read Yotsuki Naruto: I'm almost done writing the next chapter, so that should be up relatively soon. All I have to do once I finish writing is go through my review process, which, since I lack a Beta reader/editor, consists of me reading the story several times, at least one of which is out loud, making changes and corrections as necessary. Obviously, I don't catch all of the grammatical errors, unintentional plot holes, and etc. but it does significantly improve the chapter.

Q: Don't the Hatake have dog summons?

A: So first of all, in this story the Hatake aren't a clan. To simplify things, I cut some of the clans, even if characters from those clans still appear. This includes the Hatake, Kurama, and Shimura. As such, in regards to the specifics of this story, it's a moot point since the Hatake aren't a clan. That being said, from Narutopedia's article on Pakkun: "...some time after Pakkun and the other ninken made a contract with Kakash..." To me, this implies that it was a contract that was new with Kakashi, not something handed down through his clan. I don't know the actual answer to your question, but based on that quote I'm inclined to say no. Also, I think it would be weird for there to be two dog using clans in one village.

As always, thanks for reading.

-Col. Bogey


	15. Chapter 15

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu/Shindenshin Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

 _-The Day After the Chunin Exam Finals-_

"Moving on to other matters," Tsunade said, wanting to wrap things up. "It has been about 10 months since the Akatsuki tried and failed to extract Kazekage-dono's Bijuu. In that time they have been relatively quiet. While such a development is welcome, it is also a bit unnerving."

Tsunade, Shibuki, and Gaara were holding a meeting. While a couple of other villages were part of the alliance, Konoha, Taki, and Suna were the three closest, and strongest, villages within their alliance, and the leaders had taken the opportunity provided by the chunin exams to discuss a few things.

"It is only a matter of time until they try to take Shukaku from me again." Gaara stated, rather calmly given the topic, "but they will find that Suna is much better prepared for them now."

"How so, Kazekage-dono?" Shibuki asked.

"I refuse to answer on the grounds that our alliance treaty explicitly states that none of us are required to reveal all of our village defenses. Suffice to say, we will be ready."

It's not that Gaara was intending to be hostile towards his allies, but given the role a member of Suna's council had played in allowing the Akatsuki into the village, he was being as cautious as possible. Much of the village's new defenses were classified, and only known to him and his most trusted subordinates.

"But you do have to divulge any assistance you get from other allied villages" Tsunade said, with a knowing smile. "And I know for a fact that you've made a contract with the Uzumaki Clan to begin instructing some of your shinobi in Fuinjutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu."

In the aftermath of the final fight of the chunin exams, in which Kairn had surrendered after one of Gaara's genin had metaphorically wiped the floor with her, the Kazekage had sought out his first friend and fellow Jinchuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki.

After a brief discussion of the fight between their subordinates, and the obligatory small talk and catching up, Gaara had enquired if Naruto would be willing help patch the holes in Suna's poor knowledge of Fuinjutsu, hoping that his village could then create a defensive and/or sensory barrier similar to Konoha's. Naruto had heartily agreed.

"Indeed." Gaara said, "Though none of the techniques taught to the soon to be formed Suna Barrier Corp will be Uzumaki techniques, just the generic ones."

"I'm already aware, per Konoha law the Uzumaki were required to seek my approval before teaching techniques to foreigners, allies or not. Naturally, I approved it."

With the reassurance that Suna would be much better protected, Shibuki began to lament his own village's situation. "I'm glad to hear you are taking precautions, Kazekage-dono. I only wish I could afford to protect my village's jinchuuriki. Unfortunately, Taki has neither the budget, nor the military strength to be able to do much. Once the Akatsuki decide to target our jinchuuriki, it will be very difficult, near impossible for us to stop them."

"And your Jinchuuriki's identity is already well known. I fought alongside Fuu-san when she participated in the chunin exams Konha and Suna jointly hosted." Gaara remarked. "Is there anything we can do to help protect her?"

"I have an idea." The three village leaders turned and looked towards elder Koharu, who was sitting in on the meeting as one of Konoha's representatives, the others being Jiraya and Shikaku.

Of the three elders, Koharu was the one that Tsunade disliked the least, so when all three elders had asked to sit in on the meeting, Tsunade had approved Koharu, but rejected Homura and Danzo. The elders were simply too influential to bar all three of them from attending, as much as the Hokage would have liked to do just that.

"For now, Fuu-san will come to Konoha. Ever since two of the Akatsuki infiltrated our village four years ago we have been constantly improving our defenses." The elder then took a moment to address Tsunade specifically:

"You should know that as much as my colleagues and I are often critical of you, Tsunade-hime, all three of us, even Danzo, have nothing but glowing things to say about the way you have been reforming our barrier corp."

Tsunade offered a grateful nod, but before she could respond, Shibuki interrupted. "You expect me to just hand Fuu-chan over to you? The only thing that sets Taki apart from the other non-Kage villages is the fact that we have a jinchuuriki. I won't just let you steal what makes Taki unique from its peers."

"Please, Shibuki-dono, allow me to explain the idea. Fu will not join Konoha, she will simply stay here, perhaps as your ambassador to our village. In the meantime, Konoha will assist Taki in preparing its defenses and improving the quality of its shinobi." Koharu quickly countered, not wanting the Waterfall Village's leader to grow so angry as to ignore the idea.

Shibuki calmed down, reassured that Konoha wasn't trying to steal the seven tails, and intrigued by the idea. "How so?"

"First of all, we will send people to help improve your shinobi training and education. I know Suna adopted our academy system a few years ago, and I'm sure Kazekage-dono will agree that it has improved the quality of shinobi the village puts out." Koharu paused for a brief moment and shot a look to Gaara, who simply nodded in agreement.

"Second of all, we can ask the Uzumaki clan to provide a similar service to Taki as to Suna, instruction in Fuinjutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu in order to improve your village defenses. Finally, with only a small few in Konoha being aware of Fuu-san's status, and with her trip here being kept a secret, it will allow her to both hide from the Akatsuki and lead a normal life until such time as Taki is secure enough for her to return."

While all this was being discussed, Tsunade was eying Koharu suspiciously. It's not that the Hokage was opposed to the idea, she was all for helping an ally, and even more for making things difficult for the Akatsuki.

It was more that she did't see anyway that Konoha benefited from the idea, and the elders never gave something away unless it lead to a greater return on their investment.

"Would you find this arrangement agreeable, Hokage-dono?" Tsunade was pulled from her suspicions by Shibuki, and quickly voiced her response. "We would need to work out the exact details, but I have no issue moving forward with this."

"Excellent, for now let us continue with this meeting. The delegations from Konoha and Taki can meet tomorrow to finalize the details of the agreement." Koharu said, prompting the three leaders to move on to other lines of discussion.

As the Kage and Shibuki moved to the next item on their agenda, the elderly former teammate of Tsunade's sensei lingered on the topic of Fuu for just a few more seconds. _I have done as you asked, Danzo. Only time will tell if this plan of yours will pan out or not. For both your sake, and the sake of the village, I hope it does._

- _Two days later_ _-_

After a couple of nerve racking days, Team Sasuke, along with representatives of the Uzumaki, Inuzuka and Yamanaka clans, had been summoned to see Tsunade.

Normally, representatives from clans were not present when chunin exam results were announced, but given that all three clans had contracts and agreements that were not technically finalized until Karin and Ino were chunin, Tsume, Inoichi, Kiba, and Naruto were invited to the meeting as well.

When everyone had gathered, Sasuke turned and began walking into the tower, followed closely by Daisuke, and shortly by Inoichi, Tsume, Kiba, and Karin. Ino remained rooted to where she stood. Her stomach felt as if it was tied in knots.

Naruto, equally nervous, though also confident, took the opportunity to comfort his betrothed. After intertwining his hands with her own, he looked straight into her eyes, and gave a big smile.

"No matter what happens, I'm proud of you, Ino-chan. Now come on, let's go see if we have a wedding to plan or not." Ino, too terrified to even speak, simply nodded and followed her beloved into the tower.

Everyone else was in Tsunade's office, waiting for them, so Naruto offered a quick apology upon entry, which was just as quickly waved off, everyone was well aware of just how nervous Ino was.

After a brief pause, Tsunade began speaking. "As you've probably figured out, we'll be discussing Team Sasuke's performance in the chunin exams. I'm pleased to say that our judges unanimously approved of Karin's performance, despite losing in the championship match. As Hokage, I'm pleased to promote Karin Uzumaki to the rank of Chunin."

Karin stepped forward to receive her vest. She had not really been nervous for herself. True, she had lost the final match, but once she figured out just how outclassed she was by her opponent from Suna, she had simply surrendered, having noted how doing a similar thing had gotten Shikamaru Nara promoted in a previous iteration of the chunin exams.

With Karin officially a chunin, the contract between the Uzumaki and Inuzuka was now binding, and Naruto pulled out a briefcase full of Ryo, which he handed to Tsume, the first installment of the Uzumaki Clan's investment.

In return for the Uzumaki investment in the Inuzuka retail development, Kiba was now legally betrothed to Karin, they would be married shortly after both were 18.

The contract not only specified that divorce impossible, but that he would be required to sire a minimum of four children with her before his twenty-eighth birthday. It was a clause Karin herself had insisted on including in the contract, seeing as she was still convinced that her reproductive system was the most important thing she could offer the clan.

"Next up, Daisuke." Tsunade said. "Again, there was a clear decision, though nowhere near as definitive as with Karin. Congratulations, you've been promoted." Daisuke then stepped forward, taking his own vest and scroll.

The tension in the room seemed to grow even bigger, the decision that everyone was waiting on, the decision with major implications for the Uzumaki Clan's main family, was the only one left to be announced.

"And now, Ino." Tsunade began. Ino was so nervous she felt like she might vomit. "There was not a clear decision, the judges were deadlocked."

"What?" Naruto was the one who spoke, Ino too overcome with emotion, tears already beginning to form, assuming the worst.

"The votes of actual Shinobi are worth twice as many as those of civilians, so essentially shinobi judges have 2 votes, while civilian judges have one." Tsunade explained.

"When the votes were tallied, there was an even split between promotion to chunin and remaining genin. While almost all judges acknowledged that Ino showed a good range of skills, many felt that she wouldn't even have won her first match if it had been a one on one contest."

"I believe that when this happens, the final decision is left up to the discretion of the Kage or village leader of the exam taker in question." Inoichi said, having far more experience in this sort of thing than even Tsunade. A benefit of being a clan head for over two decades.

"You're correct, Yamanaka-dono." Tsunade confirmed.

"And your decision, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked, one hand clenched in anger and frustration, the other wrapped around Ino in as reassuring of a manner as possible.

"On one hand, I agree with the critics. I don't believe Ino would have beaten any of her opponents one on one." She began, prompting a scowl to appear on Naruto's face, and Ino to fall to her knees, mind racing, convinced she was at fault, and that everyone would blame her. _I failed. I failed. I let everybody down!_

"That being said, I may not be the most popular person in the Uzumaki compound right now, but I am ¼ Uzumaki, and I do happen to love a good wedding, especially weddings with open bars, so I'm not going to stand between the two of you. I herby promote Ino to chunin."

If Ino wasn't already on her knees, she likely would have been tackled to the ground by both Naruto and Karin. Instead, the two joined her on their knees in a group hug, Ino crying tears of joy, Karin screaming in joy and laughing, and Naruto alternating between kissing Ino and telling her how much he loved her, and how proud of her he was.

It was a sight that brought smiles to Tsunade and Inoichi. Daisuke was also pleased, after all his mission was accomplished. Tsume seemed more amused than anything else, and Sasuke was clearly annoyed, it seemed he'd have to have yet another discussion with his brother in all but blood about decorum and acting like a clan head.

Before the Uzuamkis could get too carried away in their celebration, Tsunade forced herself to cough, drawing everyone's attention back in. "Unless anyone needs something else, everyone except Naruto, Ino, and Karin is dismissed."

Sasuke, Daisuke, Tsume, and Kiba all quickly bowed and left, while Inoichi only lingered long enough to invite Naruto and Karin to join the Yamanaka family for a celebratory dinner that night, and to give his daughter a quick hug and offer his own congratulations to her.

After Inoichi left, Ino finally put on her chunin vest, absolutely beaming with pride, as were Naruto and Karin. Tsunade took one last moment to let them bask in the feeling of accomplishment, and then got back to business.

"I'm sure you'll want to dive right into wedding planning, but I actually have a fair amount of business I need to discuss with the Uzumaki Clan."

"Of course, Hokage-sama. What can we do for Konoha?" Naruto asked, taking the lead, he was the clan head after all."

"After speaking with the Kazekage and the leader of Taki, we've decided to do some things to help beef up Taki's security, their jinchuuriki is vulnerable, and they have neither the budget, nor the manpower, to be able to protect her."

"A worthy cause, we'd be happy to help. As I'm sure you know, protecting jinchuuriki is something we consider to be important." It was more than just important; to Naruto, it was personal. The Uzumaki would absolutely do anything they could to help other jinchuuriki.

"Good. When the members of Suna's barrier corp arrive, they'll be joined by some shinobi from Taki. I want you to teach them alongside the sand shinobi, so that we can help improve their defenses."

Naruto nodded, "It shall be done, Hokage-sama." before looking over to his clanswoman:

"Looks like you'll have more students, Karin-chan."

"I'd be honored, Hokage-sama, Naruto-sama." Karin responded, offering a slight bow.

"Taki's jinchuuriki will also be staying in Konoha for a while as an ambassador, mostly so we can keep her in a more secure location. I was hoping you would befriend her, and also, keep her status secret"

"That goes without saying." Naruto said, "I've never met her, but as far as I'm concerned, she's my sister." His voice was emphatic, everyone in the room knew how Naruto felt about Gaara, it made sense that he would feel that way about the other jinchuuriki as well.

"All right, moving on, I was hoping to discuss what divisions Karin and Ino will be assigned to." Tsunade said. "Or will Ino be retiring?"

All Genin served as part of the village's regular forces, the Mission Division, but upon reaching the rank of chunin, could be transferred to other divisions, such as the Intelligence Division, the Barrier Corp, the Academy, Medical Corp, ANBU, and etc.

If interested, they would apply, and their file would be reviewed by the head of the division and/or department, who would make an accept or reject recommendation to the Hokage. Usually, Tsunade just went along with that recommendation, though technically she didn't have to.

It was one of the few areas of the village decision making process that the council had not yet wormed its way into, though if the shinobi in question belonged to a clan, the clan head also had to be consulted.

Specifically dealing with the question of Ino's possible retirement, most clans required the spouse of the clan head to retire in some way. For the clans, if their Clan Head was their leader, then the spouse of the Clan Head was their talisman. A symbol for the clan, someone too valuable to risk on the battlefield. Especially if said spouse was a fertile female.

The three Ino-Shika-Cho Clans required the clan head's spouse to retire from active duty, and become a reservist.

The Aburame and Sarutobi preferred the clan head's spouse to retire or join the reserves, but allowed them to continue on active duty as long as it was in divisions that would keep them in the village at all times.

Due to the unique dynamics of the Hyuga clan, it was very rare that a main branch Hyuga actually became a shinobi of the village, Hinata was only a Konoha kunoichi because it had been assumed she would be joining the branch family at some point. That being said, the Hyuga required the Clan Head's wife to retire from all duties, and focus solely on bearing and raising children.

The Uchiha of old had a similar philosophy. The Clan Head's wife was expected to retire from the police force and focus her attention on maintaining her husband's home and raising his children.

That being said, Sasuke had changed the Uchiha Clan law, allowing Sakura to continue as an active member of the medical corp. Technically, Uchiha Clan laws on the subject were now similar to that of the Aburame and Sarutobi, retirement was preferred, but not required.

Even the Senju had some restrictions, though they were much less restrictive than the other clans; Mostly because Hashirama had feared his wife, Mito Senju, formerly Mito Uzuamki, 1st Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, would react poorly to being forced to retire. The 1st Spouse of the Senju was forbidden from joining the ANBU, but otherwise there were no restrictions.

A review of the spouses of the various clan heads confirmed these policies. The three Ino-Shika-Cho wives were all reservists.

Shibi's wife worked as an administrator.

After marrying Asuma, Kurenai had planned on transferring to join the academy as a teacher, but had become pregnant with Mirai before she completed the teacher training program. Technically, she was retired and a reservist now, but was adamant that once her kid(s?) was old enough, she would resume her teacher training.

Sakura was part of the Medical Corp, but was assigned to the hospital full time, not the combat medic program.

Kakashi, taking advantage of the more lenient laws of the Senju Clan, was still a jonin, though he rarely left the village anymore, with Senju laws preventing him from resuming his ANBU career, and his newborn son making him want to stay close to home.

Only the Inuzuka Clan had no restrictions on the clan head's spouse's career. Which is what had led Kiba and Hana's father to continue his career, and ultimately led to his death.

Ino, having grown up in a clan where her mother had been forced to give up her career and join the reserves, was all too aware of this practice, and had spoken to Naruto at length on the subject during the early days of their betrothal.

In fact, finding out Uzumaki Clan policy on the duties of the clan head's spouse had been one of the biggest reasons she had spent so much time in the clan library.

Having found those policies, Naruto was able to confidently respond to Tsunade's query: "There are no restrictions on the department Ino-chan will be able to work in. The only restrictions are that she work part time, not full time, and that once she gets pregnant for the first time, she is not to be sent outside of the village on missions until all our children are at least twelve years old."

Tsunade nodded. All things considered, most of the Konoha clans were fairly progressive on the issue, at least compared to clans from the other villages. The exception was the Hyuga, and formerly the Uchiha. Even by Konoha's more permissive standards, the Uzumaki policy seemed to be one of the most flexible.

"I think I already know the answer, but are there any departments you would like to apply for a transfer to, Ino?" The Godaime asked. Absolutely no one was surprised when she responded: "I'd like to transfer to the Intelligence Division."

The Intelligence Division consisted of several departments, Analytics, Encryption, Reconnaissance, and the Torture & Interrogation Department. Each of these departments was led by a head ninja, such as the famed and feared Ibiki Morino with T&I, all of whom reported to the head of the Intelligence Division, who happened to be Inoichi, Ino's father.

In fact, due to their abilities, the Intelligence Division was one of the most common landing spots for members of the Yamanaka Clan. Their mental jutsu were right at home working in the bowels of T&I, or quickly sending information back to Konoha while on a reconnaissance mission.

As if it wasn't obvious enough why Ino wanted to transfer to Intelligence, she and her father had an incredibly close relationship. Even at the age of 16, when not in public, Inoichi was always "Daddy" and Ino was "Princess," "my baby girl," or "Hime." She absolutely revered her father, who in turn spoiled her rotten, and it was no surprise that she wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Tsunade, having anticipated Ino's desire, handed her an application for the Intelligence Division that was already filled out, and signed by her father.

All that was missing was the preference for full or part time employment, and her signature. Since, at least for the next few months, her father was still her clan head, the clan head's consent was also implied by his signature, bypassing one step of the transfer process.

Ino smiled, not caring that her desires had been that transparent. She quickly circled "part time" and signed the form, before handing it back to Tsunade, and then claiming a kiss from Naruto, not caring about the fact that one was supposed to behave a certain way in the Hokage's office, after all a single kiss was nothing compared to what the members of the Uzumaki Clan had been doing just minutes before.

Again, Tsunade had to cough to bring their focus back to where it needed to be. Once she had their attention again, she turned to the other woman in Naruto's life. "Now how about you, Karin? Personally I think you'd be a great fit for either R&D or Intelligence."

Karin gulped, she knew what she wanted to say, and she knew Naruto wouldn't approve, still, she voiced her preference.

"I want to retire, Hokage-sama. Now that I've been promoted to Chunin, and thus meet the minimum requirements for my marriage, I wish to focus on repopulating the Uzumaki Clan, and serving the head family like my ancestors did….That being said, I know Naruto-sama won't approve of that, so I'll do whatever he wishes of me."

Both Naruto and Ino frowned. "Not this again" Naruto muttered, Ino took a more direct approach: "Really? After all that talk about us being sisters? You still just want to be our servant?"

"It's true that I love you like a sister, Ino-sama, but my ancestors were the personal servants of Naruto-sama's ancestors, and I'd like to revive that tradition." Karin said, hoping and pleading that she could finally convince her lord and lady to go along with her plan. It was tradition after all. Traditions were good...right?

"Absolutely not," Naruto said, crossing his arms and stamping a foot down for added emphasis. "Maybe, MAYBE, after our clan has grown a bit I'll consider allowing you to designate one of your children or grand children as the person who will revive that tradition and serve the main family, but that's a long shot."

He then tried approaching the issue from another angle, appealing to Karin's desire to be useful to the Uzumaki. "Even if I wanted you as a servant, Ino-chan's only going to be working part time, I can't seem to get a mission for the life of me, and a huge chunk of our clan savings was just invested in the Inzuka's retail development project, I need you earning ryo for the clan."

"I actually have a possible solution for you on the mission front." Tsunade interrupted, "but for now perhaps we can get back to the business at hand, I don't think you want to be airing internal clan issues out in my office." Clearly, she was not wanting the Uzumaki to have this argument in front of her.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama, it won't happen again." Naruto said, turning to face Tsunade and offering a bow. "As Karin's Clan Head, I'm rejecting her proposed retirement."

"Of course, then where would you like her, Naruto?" Tsunade asked.

"If it's ok, I'd like to postpone the decision for a bit, let me perform an experiment first." Naruto said.

Tsunade arched an eyebrow: "What do you have in mind?"

Naruto took a breath to center himself, he needed to not only convince Tsunade, but also Karin, of his idea, he needed to be focused.

"As I mentioned earlier, Karin will be the one teaching Fuinjutsu and Barrier Ninjutsu to the Suna and Taki Shinobi. She's studied more of it than I have, and as a full blooded Uzumaki, her affinity for seals is even stronger than mine. If she turns out to have a knack for teaching, I'd like to have her transfer to the academy as a part time Fuinjutsu teacher. Teach the kids how to make and use a storage scroll, paper bomb, simple traps, things like that. Maybe offer an elective class for the kids in their final year that have an interest in the area."

Karin simply bowed, if that's what Naruto-sama wanted her to do, than it's what she would do. She was a loyal member of the clan, and would obey her lord's orders. Tsunade sat still for a few moments, thinking on Naruto's idea, before smiling at the young man she considered a grandson and voicing her thoughts.

"That's actually a really good idea, we could always use more Fuinjutsu users. But given the fact that outside of a very small number of individuals, the Uzumaki Clan essentially has a monopoly on those skills right now, aren't you worried it will diminish your clan's standing?"

Naruto grinned. "Nope, even the best regular seal is sophomoric against our clan's secret fuinjutsu." he responded, "So our place as the premier seal masters of the village is assured. Believe it."

"Alright, in that case I am going to place Karin on an indefinite C rank mission to teach Fuinjutsu to the people Suna and Taki send, and prepare a possible Fuinjutsu curriculum. We'll reevaluate your idea once the mission is complete, Naruto." Tsunade said, beginning the necessary paperwork.

"Thank You, Hokage-sama." Naruto said, offering yet another bow to the Godaime, as decorum dictated. "Now, I believe you said you had a possible solution that would allow me to actually take some missions and earn that promotion to full jonin?"

"Indeed." Tsunade grinned, "How would you like to transfer to the barrier corp?"

Shortly after she took over as Hokage, Tsunade had learned that Kisame and Itachi had been able to infiltrate the village and had launched an investigation. What she had learned had appalled her.

The Head of the Barrier Corp had never added Itachi's chakra signature to the list of those that would set off an alarm if detected. Further investigation revealed how incompetent the leaders of the division responsible for the defense of Konoha itself was.

She had immediately fired the commanding officers, and had begun a program of reform in the division, the same program that had won her the praise of Koharu during the meeting with Gaara and Shibuki.

The Barrier Crop was responsible not only for maintaining the barrier ninjutsu and sensory fuinjutsu that surrounded and permeated the village, but patrolling the walls and guarding the gates. In a sense, they were the first line of defense for the village, incompetence was not acceptable.

Given that his skill set now included Fuinjutsu, and he was, alongside Karin and Jiraya, one of the best Fuinjutsu users the village had, Tsuande thought Naruto would be a good fit for the division, and believed the arrangement would also prove advantageous to Naruto on a number of levels.

As both a clan head and a jinchuuriki, it was very likely that the council would never approve of him leaving the village on missions, essentially preventing him from making a career in the regular forces or ANBU.

The Barrier Corp was still short staffed on officers since Tsunade's purge of the division, with less than 10 total jonin and tobuketsu jonin currently on its roster, and there was an opportunity for someone like Naruto to rise rapidly through the ranks. Possibly even become the head of the division.

Which was good, it would give Naruto steady work and good pay, while also allowing him to keep up with other Clan Heads, many of whom also worked as department commanders, division commanders, and in other prestigious roles for the village.

Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Shizune Senju, Tsume Inuzuka, Shibi Aburame, Choza Akimichi, and even Sasuke Uchiha all held at least the rank of Department head, if not Division head.

Shikaku was Jonin Commander, and as such was second in command in the village. Technically, everyone except the elders and the Hokage reported to him.

Inoichi Yamanka was head of the Intelligence Division.

Shizune Senju was the head of the Medical Division.

Shibi Aburame had just recently been promoted to the commander of the ANBU, and was thus also a division head.

Choza Akimichi, after a distinguished career as a jonin sensei to three different genin teams, including serving as the jonin sensei for such notable shinobi as Might Gai and Genma Shiranui, had been appointed the head of Konoha's Ninja Academy while Naruto was away on his training trip, he was thus also a division head.

Tsume Inuzuka oversaw the main shinobi forces as commander of the Mission Division.

Sasuke was currently a department head working under Tsume, but it was understood that once the police force that he was re-establishing, to be headed by, but not solely staffed by ,the Uchiha, was large enough, it would be spun off into its own division.

Asuma Sarutobi, now that his jonin sensei duties were officially over, was to be appointed as the liason between the Hokage and the Daimyo, taking advantage of the fact that, as both the son of a former Hokage, and a former member of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, he was incredibly well respected in both Konoha and the capital. It wasn't a division head, but it was a position that came with a similar amount of prestige.

Among the Clan Heads, only Hiashi didn't work for the village, instead he oversaw the Hyuga Clan full time. The Main family usually worked for the clan, while the branch family was forced to fill the quota of shinobi that the clan was expected to supply the village. Hinata was the only unbranded Hyuga to work for Konoha, and even then, only because as a child, most had assumed she would end up in the branch family.

Main Family duties generally involved the Hyuga's business empire. Hyuga owned or partially owned companies, corporations, and other entities could be found in every city, village, and town in the Land of Fire, and in many of the smaller nations that surrounded it.

Members of the Main family were of course, still trained as shinobi, but they plied their trade for the needs of the clan exclusively, not the village, the exception being during times of war. In many ways, Hiashi's job was similar to Tsunade's, just on a much smaller, but more spread out, scale.

In other words, Naruto was the only clan head who worked for Konoha that wasn't a high ranking official in the village's bureaucracy. It was also clear that, while not guaranteed, joining the barrier corp was his best bet at quickly rising through the ranks. But, as Ino would point out, there was still a problem.

"Hold on, Hokage-sama. Naruto is currently a Tobuketsu Jonin in the main force, but wouldn't he have to go back to being a chunin if he transferred?"

"Technically, yes." The Godaime responded, "because what constitutes a jonin or tobuketsu jonin looks different from division to division, the ranks above chunin are specific to each department."

"So I'd have to give up my rank and start all over again as a chunin?" Naruto said, eyes narrow, not pleased by this development.

"Technically, but if you would let me finish, there are two exceptions." Tsunade said, trying to preempt any complaints. "I'm listening." Naruto said, arms crossed, clearly suspicious but willing to hear her out.

"The first exception is for people who have previously held a rank and are transferring back. An example of this is Kakashi. He was a jonin in the main force during the 3rd War, then he transferred to ANBU at their equivalent of chunin, rose to captain, their equivalent of jonin, and then transferred back to the main force. Because he had already been a jonin in the main force, his rank was reinstated." She explained.

"That doesn't help Naruto-sama though, he's never been in the barrier corp." Karin protested, as Ino glared daggers at Tsunade. It was clear that neither of the women in his life would allow Naruto to transfer if it involved giving up his rank.

"If I could just finish without being interrupted..." Tsunade said, gritting her teeth in frustration. It was nice to see Karin and Ino being so protective of Naruto, but in this specific situation it was more of an annoyance. Still, she got her point across, because Naruto motioned to both Ino and Karin to allow the Hokage to finish her explanation.

"As Karin said, that wouldn't apply to you joining the barrier corp, but should your transfer not work out to your liking, you could always return to being a tobuketsu jonin in the main force, even if you were just a chunin in the Barrier Corp. That being said, I think the second exception would apply to you." Tsunade said, after offering Naruto a grateful nod for allowing her to finish.

"If someone transfers into a division and is already overqualified, they can begin at a rank higher than chunin. Because of how rare it is for someone to be familiar with fuinjutsu, and how important it is to the job of the barrier corp, the only requirement for being a tobuketsu jonin in the barrier corp is a fuinjutsu test, one that I believe you could pass in your sleep."

"Ok, so let's say I pass. I'm a tobuketsu jonin in the barrier corp, then what?" Naruto asked. "After I cleaned house in the division, I asked the previous commander to come out of retirement, and he's done a good job of patching things up since," Tsunade began,

"problem is that he is even older than I am. He was in the same graduating class as Sarutobi-sensei, he has great-grandchildren he should be spoiling. He wants to retire again, but we have no one who is competent enough to replace him. I want to fast track you to that position."

Naruto was intrigued, the idea of being a division head was too good of an opportunity to simply ignore. "What does 'fast tracking' me look like?"

"The first step is to make you eligible for promotion to jonin. The only requirement there is experience. Therefore, we take advantage of the thing that makes you unique...shadow clones. Between know and your wedding in three months, I want two or three Narutos working at the Barrier Corp at all times. In addition to a hefty amount of overtime pay, that should make you eligible for promotion by the time of your wedding."

"But if he's at work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, how is he going to help plan the wedding?" Ino asked. "Ino-chan," Naruto rubbed the back of his head, a tell-tale sign that he was embarrassed about something "I was just going to go along with what ever you wanted anyways. I could always keep a clone with you as well though."

Ino frowned, she knew it was typical for men to just "go along with what ever the bride wanted" A.K.A: they didn't really care about the wedding, but she had expected better of her own groom.

"Na-ru-to U-zu-ma-ki," she pronounced each syllable in his name in a clearly annoyed tone, hoping to emphasize her point. "This is our wedding, not just mine. You will not leave me and my mother to do all the work and make all the decisions, your help and opinions are mandatory." Her tone made it clear that there was no room for argument.

"All right, all right, like I already said, I'll have a clone with you when you're working on it." Naruto said, in a poor attempt to placate Ino before turning back to the Hokage. "What happens after I become a jonin?"

"Still Shadow Clones." Tsunade responded. "Only this time the clones will be running the teams, getting you experience working as a commander. Barrier maintenance, Gate guarding, wall patrol, there are a lot of jobs, and I would want you and your clones acting as team leaders. I expect this would go on for another three to six months of 2-3 Narutos on duty 24/7, then we could stop all the extra time and just put you in HQ as a regular, full time jonin. No more clones."

"And then?" Naruto asked, clearly liking what he was hearing. "You'd be promoted to assistant-commander of the division, and the assistant/apprentice to the commander. Eventually, he'd drop down to part time, allowing you more experience running things, and when he is confident you are ready, he will retire and you will take over, possibly in as little as two years."

"From tobuketsu jonin to division commander in two years..." Naruto's voice sounded almost dream like, and his eyes seemed glazed over, he was clearly day dreaming about making such a meteoric rise through the ranks.

"So, what do you say, Naruto?" Tsunade asked, snapping her godson back to reality. "I'd say I'd like an application to transfer divisions, Hokage-sama." Naruto said, grinning. "I won't let you down, believe it! Dattebayo!"

- _End of Chapter-_

Yes, I skipped the final fight of the Chunin Exams. If you were really looking forward to it, you have my apologies.

Karin took on a genin from Suna. I imagined it being someone who was just hax powerful. Think someone as dominant as Shinki (Gaara's son in canon) in his chunin exams. Scorch Style like Pakura, Fan user like Temari, and Puppeteer like Kankuro all in one, or some other ungodly combination of things that Suna is known for. Karin fights for a bit, but realizes she is outclassed and surrenders, as with Shikamru in his fight with Temari, the judges view this as a positive.

I was going to write it, really, I was, but every-time I sat down to work on this story, the ideas were all things that took place post-chunin exam, and before I knew it I had this entire chapter, and significant portions of the next couple of chapters, written before I had so much as given more than a brief moment's serious thought to the final fight of the chunin exams. Again, my apologies to those of you who were really looking forward to it.

I can already see some of you asking: "If the Uzumaki only allowed the clan head's spouse to work part time, how was Minato Hokage?" The answer is that Minato never actually joined the clan, he was still Minato Namikaze, not Minato Uzumaki, so the rules didn't apply.

I'm also going to offer come clarification on things here:

You may have noticed that I generally used "Clan Head's Spouse" or some other gender neutral term when referring to most of the clans, however, for two, I specified Wife.

While for most clans, gender identity is irrelevant in regards to the position of Clan Head. The Dojutsu holding clans view themselves as a bit above the others, and retain a more "traditional" alignment. Only men are allowed to serve as clan heads for the Hyuga and Uchiha

For the Hyuga, this sets up a possible interesting sub plot, since Hiashi has no son, and his only male relative is a member of the branch family.

To clarify what I meant by: "While a couple of other villages were part of the alliance, Konoha, Taki, and Suna were the three closest, and strongest, villages within their alliance, and the leaders had taken the opportunity provided by the chunin exams to discuss a few things:" Konoha, Suna, and Taki enjoy the closest and best relations of any of the villages in their alliance. (Kusa has also been confirmed to be in their alliance in the chapter where Karin defects to Konoha, and I imagine there are a couple of other minor villages as well).

Konoha, Suna, and Taki are all also the most powerful members of their alliance, though Taki is clearly the weakest and Konoha is clearly the strongest of the three.

One last bit of business/clarification:

Fu = Fu Yamanaka

Fuu = The Jinchuuriki

Question Time:

Q: Will Honoka Uzumaki show up?

A: Honestly, I had no idea who you were talking about, so I went and looked her up. It's been a while since I've seen any of those "life on a boat" episodes, and all I really remember about them is Gai being sea sick, and shadow clones disobeying Naruto.

Anyways, after some research, in canon she's never officially confirmed to be an Uzumaki, though the Narutopedia article does say that she is generally assumed to be one. (Also, I learned that in addition to the canon Naruto wiki, there is also a fan fiction Naruto wiki, where she is listed as being an Uzumaki, but again, that's not canon) Thank you for bringing her to my attention. I'll mull over including her in the story. I'll say this, if Naruto gets word of other surviving Uzmaki, he's certainly going to do his best to bring them to Konoha.

Q: Why didn't Ino just use the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Karin?

A: The real answer is that I wanted Karin to win the fight. As for an in universe answer, take your pick:

1: The Uzumaki Clan has Fuinjutsu that renders techniques like the mind transfer ineffective, and Ino didn't want to risk leaving her body exposed and undefended if Karin had such a seal on.

2: Ino was trying to showcase a range of skills and abilities. A Yamanaka using one of the most basic of their clan jutsu? Effective, but not very impressive. A Yamanaka using genjutsu and fuinjutsu? Unexpected, something that would get the attention of the judges, and make her stand out. Ino does have a flair for the dramatic.

Next time: The Uzumaki Wedding!

Thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


	16. Chapter 16

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu/Shindenshin Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

- _The Yamanaka Compound, Inoichi's House, Ino's bedroom-_

The sun had not yet risen above the horizon, but in the pre-dawn light Konoha's most talked about bride-to-be lay awake, staring at the clock. _Ugh. 5am? Why am I awake?_

She was tired, having not been able to get to sleep until after two in the morning the night before, and it was clear that neither her body, nor her mind, were going to allow her to sleep now, so she got up, and quickly scanned her bedroom.

Outside of her bed, and a couple outfits, it was practically empty, with most of her possessions being sealed inside the scrolls near her door.

Deciding she needed some fresh air, she put on one of the remaining outfits, and left her parent's home, making a quick stop at the Yamanka Flower Shop. As a very part time employee, and daughter of the owners, she still had a key. After picking up some flowers, she headed out towards her destination.

Konoha's cemetery was empty, even the notoriously frequent memorial stone and graveyard visitor Kakashi-sensei was still in bed, or perhaps dealing with his infant son. So after just a quick glance around to ensure she was alone, Ino made her way over to a very particular grave, putting the flowers down on it, and sparking up a one-sided conversation.

"Good morning, Kushina-sama. I brought you some flowers, I hope you like them. I'm sorry for visiting you so early, but I couldn't sleep. As I'm sure you already know, I'm marrying your son in about 10 hours. I promise I'll look after him for you, and that my loyalty to the Uzumaki Clan will be absolute. In return, I hope you'll watch over us, Kushina-sama."

She then made her way over to the Hokage Memorial, stopping at the portion dedicated to her soon to be father-in-law. "Hello, Yondaime-sama. I'm sorry I haven't been here more often, but I usually come with Naruto-kun, and he still believes you betrayed him when you chose to seal the Kyubi inside him, so he never wants to come see you. That being said, I choose to believe that you had nothing but the best intentions when you made that fateful decision, and while I can't say that it has worked out, I'm sure that you loved Naruto-kun. Thus, it's my promise to you that someday the whole world will recognize Naruto-kun as the hero he is, I'll make sure of it."

Not wanting to linger, and risk unintentionally revealing the secret of who Naruto's parents were, she offered one last silent prayer to both of her in-laws, asking them to watch over the fledgling Uzumaki Clan, before leaving the cemetery. On her way back to her parents' house, she reflected on her experiences since becoming a chunin.

–-

Until the wedding, she was working just a few hours a week at the Intelligence Division headquarters, as an assistant to her father. While it wasn't a position that would advance her career, it had the advantage of giving her a lot of time to plan the wedding, which was good, because her husband-to-be had not been helpful.

The last time she had seen the original Naruto was the same day she had been promoted, almost three months previous, at a celebratory dinner her parents had thrown that night. Ever since then, he essentially lived at the barrier corp. Even Karin, who lived in the same apartment as Naruto, rarely saw him. Every interaction the bride and groom had since then was either via a shadow clone, or the shindenshin jutsu.

Her mother had turned one of the flower shop's back rooms into Wedding HQ, and along with Ino and her bride's maids, had gone to work. Due to the fact that it was a clan head's wedding, more specifically a clan head who had high society friends in several nations around the world, all of whom wanted to attend, it was going to be a big affair.

Naruto, dutifully, sent a clone to help, but Ino only ever got a response from her future husband by forcing the clone to dispel, which would cause him to send another one with his answer.

Karin was going to be the maid of honor. Who was going to be the best man? The clone didn't know. One stab with a kunai, and 2O minutes later, a new clone arrived with the answer: Sasuke.

Who was going to stand in as Naruto's father? The new clone was no help either, so Ino dispelled it. 20 minutes later another one arrived, Jiraya if he was in town, if not, Iruka.

So Ino had to go to the Hokage Tower and enquire about the Toad Sage, who had been out of the village since two days after he and Naruto had returned from their training trip. Yes, it turned out the Toad Sage was well aware of the wedding, and was planning to be there.

Ino was going to have 3 bridesmaids, Karin, Sakura, and Tenten. Who were Naruto's groomsmen? yet another dispelled shadow clone and 20 minutes later: Sasuke, Kiba, and Shikamaru.

Ino had a problem with that. Choji was practically her brother, and she wanted him in the wedding. 20 minutes later: An idea, make Ayame a bride's maid since Naruto considered her a sister, and make Choji a groomsman. _Finally! The Baka comes up with a good idea!_

Another clone arrived, this time unprompted. Naruto wanted Gaara to be a groomsman as well. Could Ino make Hinata a bridesmaid? Hinata was clearly not yet over Naruto, and despite the Hyuga's assurances that kunoichi of Teams 8 and 10 remained friends, the relationship between them had soured in recent weeks, so no, that wasn't an option. Answer in hand, the clone was dispelled.

Another one showed up: What about Fuu? Ino liked the green haired jinchuuriki, but they had spoken maybe three times, so no. Temari? Fine. That would work, Ino could pair her up with Shikamaru, that would make it worth it.

The Priestess of the Land of Demons was requesting to officiate the ceremony? The same priestess that Naruto had unintentionally promised he would sire children with? And whom, based on the card she had sent him for his birthday, still intended to hold him to that promise? No, No, 1000 times No!

Even the Naruto clone in attendance on that day, once made aware of what the original had actually promised, agreed this was a bad idea, but that still didn't prevent it from being angrily dispelled by Ino. _Why did he have to be so dense back then?_

The next Naruto clone to show up arrived with flowers and chocolates, and proceeded to give Ino a foot massage while she worked. Apparently the original, having long forgotten about said encounter, was only just now realizing what exactly his promise entailed, and how much trouble he was in with his fiance.

Thankfully, both Inoichi and Tsunade cashed it a few favors with members of the Fire Daimyo's court, and the court's diplomats had politely but firmly explained to ambassadors of the Land of Demons that their priestess would neither be officiating the wedding, nor be getting knocked up by Naruto.

 _Unfortunately, we can't disinvite that harlot from the wedding!_ Ino had brooded, upon hearing word that the message had been received.

With Naruto absent, and his clones feigning ignorance or simply being useless, the planning process was a huge chore, and on more than one occasion Sakura had to be called upon to use her super strength to restrain Ino and prevent her from going down to the Barrier Corp and dragging the groom out by his hair, or his ears, or his groin, whatever she thought would cause the most pain.

Other times, only the strength of Tsunade could restrain both Sakura and Ino from murdering the groom.

At least the Hokage's office was doing a lot of the leg work, because Gaara was going to attend. With Fuu already in the village, that meant there would be 3 Jinchuuriki in Konoha at one time, a huge security concern. Thus, Tsunade had delegated one of her assistants to help plan things.

Accommodations for not only the Kazekage, but the Daimyo of the Land of Spring, Priestess of the Land of Demons, and their entourages, selecting a location that could be easily secured, turns out the Uzumaki estate would work, and much of the other leg work was done by that poor chunin assistant, much to Ino, her mother, and her bridesmaids' relief. Less work for them.

By the time Ino returned to the Yamanaka Compound, it was 6am. Knowing her parents would be up soon, Ino decided to make breakfast. The three of them would eat together as Yamanaka one last time, since in about 9 hours, Ino would become an Uzumaki.

As she began pulling out the ingredients she'd need, she continued to reflect on the past three months. While the wedding planning had been a pain, everything else seemed to be going swimmingly for the Uzumaki Clan.

Phase 1 of construction on the Uzumaki Estate was done in mid january, and just as Inoichi had promised 11 months earlier, the members of Kazuto Ichijoji's guild had not let their hatred of Naruto get in the way of the potential profit that would come from future contracts with the Uzumaki Clan. They had done an excellent job on both the clan head's mansion, and the smaller, but still quite nice, house that Karin and Kiba would live in.

Almost immediately, Karin had moved into her house, Kiba would join after they were married in about a year and a half. Naruto and Ino were both moving in on the wedding day. Plans were already being drawn up for the second phase of turning Kushina's designs for an Uzumaki compound into reality, but no deals were made since the Uzumaki were a bit short of cash on hand.

Naruto's career in the barrier corp was off to a blazing hot start. 3 Narutos were working at all times, racking up the mission experience, and as promised, he had been promoted to full jonin just the previous day, at a ceremony that, had Ino been aware of, she would have attended. Just because a part of her wanted to rip his head off didn't mean she wasn't proud of Naruto, or any less in love with him.

It seemed like the only non-barrier corp ninja who saw Naruto on a regular basis these days was Fuu. Given her lack of any real friends, and strong desire to actually have some, along with Naruto's desire for strong bonds with his fellow Jinchuuriki, they had become fast friends.

Fuu had also developed a strong bond with the Aburame Clan, since they also hosted insects, only of the regular variety, not the massive chakra monster variety, and she was generally found at their compound when Naruto was at work. Shino, being the closest Aburame to her in age, had become her second friend in Konoha.

The stoic Aburame was amused, if exhausted, by her constant motor, desire for socialization, and need for attention, while she found his demeanor amusing, and enjoyed messing with him to try to get him to show any kind of emotion.

Yes, it seemed the green haired jinchuuriki was certainly enjoying her time in Konoha, especially since, while she was technically Taki's ambassador to the Hidden Leaf, she rarely had to do any work.

Of course, Ino had heard almost all of this second hand, from either Naruto clones, or Karin.

Speaking of Karin, her mission to train shinobi from Suna and Taki in Fuinjutsu, in order to help them secure their villages, was thus far a rousing success, though the lessons were still in progress. She proved to be a competent and diligent, if a bit impatient sensei, and found that she enjoyed teaching.

From this experience, she was more than willing to comply with Naruto's request for her to work at the academy once her mission was complete.

Of course, the fact that Naruto had offered her a part time job working for the clan, on top of the part time job of Fuinjutsu sensei, helped convince her. While not her desired role of directly serving the main family, she would still be serving the clan.

Naruto had appointed Karin as the clan's administrator, essentially doing a lot of the day to day jobs required to run the clan, while leaving the decision making to the clan head. Karin's duties included managing clan finances, reviewing all contracts and agreements, and maintaining the Clan Head's personal calendar and daily schedule.

She relished the opportunity to help the clan, especially since it was a position that she knew she was the most qualified of any of the four current or future Uzumaki clan members.

As for Karin's own arranged marriage, She and Kiba were now solidly cemented as good friends, and while they still argued regularly, Ino suspected that for them, arguing with each other was the equivalent of flirting.

The important thing was that the two of them accepted that they were stuck together, and were making an effort to be close. Akamaru also seemed to have taking a liking to Karin, which was more good news.

Ino was pulled from her memories by her parents walking downstairs. Both of them were extra affectionate with her that morning, and after breakfast was over, she lingered in their house for longer than she should have, enjoying their company.

Eventually, she grabbed all her remaining possessions in her room, sealed them into the last scroll, grabbed the other scrolls, and with a quick hug and a "see you in a few hours" to each of her parents, left the Yamanka Compound for her new home, the Uzumaki Compound.

On the way, Sakura, Tenten, Temari, and Ayame all met up with her. Their destination was the Uzumaki mansion, which would be the staging ground for the bride and her bridesmaids prior to the wedding. Naruto and his groomsmen would be using Karin's house.

Upon arrival at the Uzumaki mansion, Ino, who had already been in the place a few times in the past couple of weeks since construction had ended, offered the others a tour, an offer that was quickly accepted. Sakura, Tenten, and Temari were all eager to compare the mansion to the ones of their respective clans, while Ayame's interest was two fold.

One, as a civilian ramen chef, she had never really seen the inside of a mansion. Two, this was going to be her quasi-little brother's home. She had to make sure it was good enough for him.

Ino quickly slipped into the role of tour guide, explaining that almost all Uzumaki dwellings were three stories, each serving a specific purpose. The ground floor was meant for entertaining guests, the middle floor was the family's living space, and the top floor was the bedrooms.

The ground floor held four main rooms. One room was a large dining room, one a lounge, one an elaborate foyer, which was the first room one set foot in upon entry into the mansion, and another lounge or sitting room.

In addition, there were two restrooms and a kitchen. There were also a variety of closets, designed to hold hats, coats, and supplies and equipment that would be useful for both hosting parties and cleaning up after them.

Outside, there was back patio that was clearly designed for entertaining, with views of what was going to become a spectacular garden, though Ino, as a lover of flowers and gardening, had requested to landscape the garden herself, so at the moment there wasn't much.

The second floor had a much more intimate feeling. This is where Naruto, Ino, and their future children would spend most of their time, and where the Uzumaki would host small gatherings of people they considered family. There was a second kitchen, smaller dining room, sitting room complete with fireplace, two studies, and a room that was currently empty, though Ino told her guests that once the Uzumaki had children, it would serve as a playroom, and thus had extra soundproofing in the insolation.

The second floor also had a deck, attached to the dining room, with an outdoor staircase leading down to the back patio. While there were more rooms on the second floor than the first floor, the rooms on the ground were all much bigger, and the second story was overall a bit smaller.

The third floor was almost entirely empty. There were six rooms that were clearly bedrooms, depending on how many children Naruto and Ino would have, some could be guest rooms. There was one full bathroom per two bedrooms.

The master bedroom was not shown to the guests, Ino wanted to avoid any jokes about it being broken in that night, but it was large. Complete with walk-in closet and spacious bathroom, it had it's own, secluded deck, which could only be reached from the bedroom, that was complete with its own hot tub.

It was a home that Ino was already in love with, but didn't have the time to begin moving her stuff into just yet, there was a wedding to prepare for, so tour complete, the bridesmaids dutifully began to get the bride ready.

Karin, the maid of honor, was still teaching Fuinjutsu for the rest of the morning, but would be joining up with them later, brining lunch with her. Needing to stay away from her own new home anyways, since Naruto and his groomsmen would be setting up shop there.

- _Konoha Cemetery-_

It was a busy morning at the cemetery. After Ino left, Kakashi showed up, and before doing his normal routine of staring at the memorial stone, made a detour to visit both Kushina and Minato. "Sensei, Kushina-san, you'd both be so proud of him."

An hour later, at 7, Tsunade showed up. Her visit was a bit more somber. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me, and I wasn't there for your son when he needed me either, but damnit I'm here for him now."

At 8, the Toad Sage, back in Konoha for the first time in about a year, waltzed in. His message was similar to Tsunade's, but included actually getting on his knees and begging for forgiveness in front of Kushina's grave.

He knew his prized student, Minato, was a forgiving man that would be fine since things had turned out ok, his student's wife on the other hand...probably wouldn't be as forgiving once he got to the pure land.

Finally, at 9, Naruto himself showed up. He stood in front of his mother's grave, silent, for a long time, before finally speaking. "Kaa-chan. I'm getting married today. I wish you were here. I miss you every day." His voice was shaky, and fluctuated in pitch, occasionally a tear fell onto the small pile of flowers that the mornings previous visitors had left.

"Sometimes I don't know what to do. The Akatsuki have gone to ground, but I'm still one of their targets, a good chunk of the villagers still hate me, Karin-chan is looking to me to lead the clan in the right direction, and Ino-chan is looking to me to be a good husband to her. Hokage-sama is expecting me to step in and fill a division head's role at my age. I...I don't know what to do. I'm terrified I'm going to let them all down. I wish you were here, I'm sure you'd know what to do. I love you, Kaa-chan."

Naruto left without visiting his father. At some point he knew he would have to "reconcile" with the man, but he wasn't going to deal with all of the negative emotions he felt towards the Yondaime, not today at least. He was getting married, it was supposed to be a happy day.

- _Several Hours Later-_

The compound was filling up with guests, and it was almost time. Ino was dressed in an immaculate white Kimono, a purple Uzumaki crest on the back of it. Her make up was all done, Karin and Sakura having spent hours diligently fussing over the bride's appearance, and all her bridesmaids, also dressed to the nines, had gone to inform the necessary people that the bride was ready: Tsunade, Jiraya, Naruto, the groomsmen, and her parents.

There was a knock at the door, and after Ino responded "enter" she was surprised to see that her visitor was none other than the Toad Sage. "J-Jiraya-sama!" She quickly began to bow to the sanin, but he waved her off. "No need for the formalities, Naruto's my godson, we are the closest thing each other has to a living father and son. I suppose that makes you a kind of daughter-in-law for me, so please, no bowing or "sama" necessary."

"Of course, Jiraya-san. If you're looking for Naruto, he's not here yet." "Actually, Ino, I was hoping to speak with you for a minute. I apologize that the two of you have been betrothed for a whole year, and yet this is the first time we've actually met." "It's fine, everyone knows that your duties keep you away from home for long periods of time. I'm just glad you were able to make it today. Naruto-kun would have been really disappointed if you weren't here."

"I wouldn't miss my own godson's wedding...Tsunade tells me that, despite the fact that your marriage was arranged, the two of you are in love, is that true?" "Yes, I can't accurately describe how important Naruto-kun is to me."

"Good, The Akatsuki, Iwa should they ever find out his father's identity, Kumo should they ever find out his mother's identity, some poor idiots in this very village, through no fault of his own Naruto has a lot of enemies. He'll need a strong woman at his side. Watch over him for me when I'm out of the village, please."

Ino smiled, clearly Jiraya's relationship with Naruto had not been understated. "You didn't even need to ask. I'm well aware of the threats to my love, and will protect him with my life if necessary." Jiraya nodded, nothing further needed to be said.

They were soon joined by Ino's parents, both of whom complemented her on how beautiful she looked, and told her how proud of her they were. Her mother was already crying.

Soon, the bridesmaids returned, some of them dragging groomsmen with them, most notably Temari, who had Shikamaru by the ear. Apparently she had very blatantly set him up with an opportunity to complement her appearance, and instead of doing so, he had just muttered about how much of a drag this whole thing was.

Most of the groomsmen were grinning, even Sasuke had a very slight smirk on his face. They all knew Shikamaru was smitten with Temari, and simply enjoyed getting her riled up by pretending like he wasn't. He also seemed to enjoy the physical abuse she gave him for it. Most wrote it off as yet another masochistic male Nara, nothing out of the ordinary.

Finally, the whole wedding party was complete when Naruto himself arrived, dressed in the same black kimono his bride had given him for his birthday. Ino quickly detached herself from the throng of parents and bridesmaids surrounding her, and approached him.

"Hey you." "Hey, Ino-chan. You look amazing." Ino blushed, and resisted the urge to kiss him, wouldn't want to mess up the makeup right before the ceremony was to start, so instead, she just said what was on her mind.

"I love you, and I'm so excited to marry you and join your clan." Naruto's smile beamed back at her. "I love you too, and you look so much better with the Uzumaki spiral on your back than the Yamanaka crest."

For the next few minutes, everyone made casual conversation, well, except for Inoichi threatening Naruto and going into great detail as to what would happen to the jinchuuriki if Naruto ever hurt his daughter. Finally, Sakura and Sasuke, who had been looking out the window at the field where the wedding was to take place, got everyone's attention. "All the guests are seated, it's time."

–-

Due to Ino's flair for the dramatic, this wedding had even more pomp and circumstance than the Uchiha wedding, which itself had been fairly elaborate.

The wedding began with a procession to the platform where Tsunade awaited, the Uchiha wedding didn't have that. The Uchiha wedding also simply had a best man and maid of honor, so Ino was mentally awarding herself all sorts of points over Sakura for the amount of bridesmaids and groomsmen the Uzumaki wedding had.

The procession began with those very people. Each bridesmaid paired with a groomsman, with the maid of honor and best man paired together.

Shikamaru and Temari, both of them trying to fight back blushes.

Choji and Sakura, as the kindly Akimichi was the only groomsman Sasuke would allow to be paired with his wife, since they couldn't be paired together themselves.

Gaara and Tenten, a pairing that piqued the interest of a couple of members of the Suna delegation, who had been attempting to convince the Kazekage to wed someone.

Kiba and Ayame, and then, finally, the best man and maid of honor, Sasuke and Karin.

After them came Inoichi, his wife, and Jiraya, before Naruto and Ino strolled down the aisle, arm in arm, and took their place in front of Tsunade on the podium. Ino spared just a minute to look around.

The front of the audience was mostly dignitaries. The Fire Daimyo and his entourage, Gaara's entourage, led by Kankuro, Daimyo of Spring and her entourage, Priestess of Demons and her entourage, and the Daimyo of the Land of Waves and his entourage.

Behind them sat the Clan heads and their families. From the Aburame, Shibi, his wife, and Shino.

From the Akimichi, Choza and his wife, Ino's "aunt" and "uncle."

From the Hyuga, Hiashi, Hanabi, and Hinata, though the latter didn't look particularly comfortable being there.

Inuzuka: Tsume, one of Tsume's mates, and Hana.

From the Nara, Ino's godparents, Shikaku and Yoshino. Ino's parents were in turn Choji's godparents, while his parents were Shikamaru's godparents, all according to Ino-Shika-Cho tradition.

From the Sarutobi, Asuma, Kurenai, and of course, Ino's "niece," baby Mirai.

From the Senju, Shizune and Kakashi, along with Naruto's, and by extension Ino's, "nephew," Nawaki.

Finally, her parents were seated in the front, so the Yamanaka spot was filled by Ino's biological aunt and uncle, Inoichi's sister and brother-in-law, along with her cousin, who was now the clan heir.

Behind the clan delegates, sat the other invited guests. Iruka, Teuchi, Lee, Neji, who was unable to sit with the actual Hyuga delegation since he was a member of the branch family, but was still an invited guest since he was a member of the Konoha 12, Gai, and a few other people that Naruto and Ino knew.

Not sitting, but standing near the back, pulling double duty as both the head of security for the event, and an invited guest due to the fact that, since he had a close work relationship with Inoichi, Ino had grown up calling him "Uncle," was Ibiki Morino.

As Ino made eye contact with him, the village's chief interrogator gave her a big smile. As much as he had a terrifying public persona, he had always been genuinely warm with her, mostly because, since she had met him at the age of three, she had never been scared of him. After all "'biki-san works with Daddy. Daddy's not scary, that means 'biki-san isn't scary either," as the pint-sized toddler Ino had proclaimed.

Despite the fact that it had a much larger audience than the standard shinobi wedding, the Uzumaki ceremony still followed the same playbook once it actually got under way.

Tsunade purified the "shrine," before announcing the commencement of the _san-san-ku-do_ ceremony, in which the bride and groom drank sake to symbolize their oaths and vows to each other. Three times the Sake was poured, each time into a bigger glass. The first pouring went to Nartuo then Ino, the second: Ino then Naruto, and then again, Naruto then Ino.

At this point, for many clans, including the Uchiha, the wedding was considered over, but for the Uzumaki, along with a few other clans, there was still another element to their wedding ceremonies, offerings.

Tsunade placed an offering before the "shrine," which in this case was only a temporary structure. She was followed by the bride and groom, and then Inoichi and Jiraya, father and "father."

Unique to Uzumaki wedding rituals, the offerings given by the fathers were representative of each clan. Inoichi left a bouquet of flowers, Jiraya, not actually an Uzumaki, but standing in as Naruto's father, left a bowl of ramen. At least an actual Uzumaki, Karin, had made the ramen.

With the offerings made, rings were exchanged, and the ceremony ended with Tsunade imploring everyone in the audience to pray for a harmonious marriage, which they all did. When all eyes were back on the bride and groom, Tsunade officially presented them as a married couple, and with the ceremony over, the party could begin.

Ino did not copy Sakura and make a big deal out of kissing her new husband, instead, she simply leaned into him as they followed their guests to the reception. Her self-control surprised just about everyone, most of all herself. Naruto, ever his mother's son, was much more impulsive, and as they left the field where the ceremony had taken place, he stopped and lifted Ino's head up to his own for a deep kiss.

By tradition, every member of the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans was invited to the reception after a wedding any member of one of the three clans was involved in, though the Akimich had to bring their own food. As such, when the wedding attendees arrived at the field where the reception was going to take place, they found it already crowded with members of the three clans, just waiting for the wedding party to arrive, so that the real party could start.

With so many Akimichi in attendance, the buffet was massive. Actually, there were two buffets, one just for the Akmichi, and one for everyone else, it was the only way any non-Akimichi would actually get any food. The bar was also incredibly well stocked, with Tsunade in attendance it was always a good idea to have plenty of extra sake.

Prior to the Uchiha wedding, Naruto had been warned that many influential people liked to conduct business at the wedding receptions of high ranking figures, and that someone may seek him out, as Uzumaki Clan Head, to discuss some arrangement. Though, come his own reception, he'd be left alone. It was sort of an unwritten rule that, while other guests were fair game, the bride and groom weren't to be approached for business.

At the Uchiha wedding, Naruto had been left alone, and hadn't really noticed any discussions that appeared to be business, but several times over the course of his own reception, he noticed two of Suna's elders, part of Gaara's delegation, holding rather intense looking discussions with Tsunade and Shizune, eventually joined by Shikaku as well. Even the Fire Daimyo became involved at one point.

Naruto filed that observation away for later, tonight was all about him...or rather, Ino. Naruto's beautiful, radiant bride was clearly loving being the center of attention, though she remained rooted to her husband's side. Or rather, neither one was willing to leave the other, even for a moment.

No matter what they did that night, talking with people, laughing, dancing, feeding each other ramen, shoving cake into each other's faces, there was always a group of people watching them, several taking pictures.

At at least one point, Ino took what was supposed to be a quick, simple, kiss initiated by her husband, and turned it into something much steamier, simply because she could, and she knew the cameras would eat it up.

Eventually, long after the sun had gone down, and the party had ended, the field had been abandoned. Naruto had previously placed several requests for D-rank missions to clean up the fields the next day, so a calm overtook the fields of the Uzumaki property.

- _The Next Morning-_

Naruto was awoken by motion, and the feeling of arms being wrapped around him. As he opened his eyes, he found Ino staring at him, smiling. Though he couldn't see under the covers, he could tell by the sensation of bare skin against bare skin that neither one of them was clothed. For a brief moment, he panicked. _Shit! I need to get her back to the Yamanaka Compound ASAP! Inoichi-san's gonna kill me!_

Then, his memory of the previous day kicked in. Ino was no longer a member of the Yamanaka Clan, Inoichi couldn't do anything about them sleeping together, and there was no longer any contractual barrier to the couple doing things that seemed better suited to a chapter of _Icha Icha._

"Earth to Naruto?" Ino pulled Naruto back to reality, before giving him a smile worthy of one of his own trademarked grins. "Good morning, Husband-kun."

"Good morning to you too, Wifey-chan." Naruto said, before giving her a lecherous grin and saying "So last night was fun. How about we continue where we left off?"

Ino grinned back, "I'd love to, but someone had to oversleep, and now has barely enough time to get ready for their big clan head meeting."

Naruto looked at the clock, 11am. _Damn, she's right. Hokage-sama called the Clan Heads and the elders for a lunch meeting to discuss some intel Pervy-Sage brought back with him. I need to shower, get my kimono on, and get out the door._

Once again, Ino pulled Naruto's attention back to her, this time by bringing her lips up to Naruto's ears, and whispering: "We'll have plenty of time to explore each other once we leave for our honeymoon tomorrow."

The honeymoon was a gift from the Daimyo, and was, apparently, the standard gift that he gave at the weddings of Clan Heads and future Clan Heads, one of his ways of currying favor with the shinobi clans. It was one week, all expenses paid, at one of the most luxurious natural hot spring resorts in the Land of Fire, in a VIP quality private cabin, including their own private hot spring.

The thought of it caused Naruto to inhale sharply, causing him to take in some of his wife's scent. He really didn't want to get out of bed, but duty calls. As he slipped out from under the covers, Ino spoke again. "While you're out, I'm going to start unpacking all of our stuff, now that we actually live here, we should probably move in."

"I'll leave you some clones," Naruto said as he walked into the bathroom. "Let them do all the work, you just supervise them. You'll need to save your energy for the ritual tonight?"

Ino sat up, and wrapped herself up in a blanket as she stood up, pursuing Naruto into the bathroom. "What ritual?"

"The Uzumaki Clan Adoption ritual, Ino-chan." His wife gave him a look that seemed to say _"I married you last night, I took your last name. Isn't that enough?"_ Naruto quickly clarified: "Just because you now have the last name Uzumaki, and the village considers you a member of the clan, doesn't mean you're actually a member of the clan. That's what the ritual is for." He said, in answer to her unspoken question.

"And why am I just finding out about this ritual?" she asked, having gotten in front of Naruto and positioned herself so she was blocking his path to the shower. She wanted answers.

"Because the fact that such a ritual exists is a secret. Non-Uzumaki can't know about it unless they are going to go through it in the next 12 hours. Which reminds me, because you aren't yet technically an Uzumaki, and are now aware of the ritual, you can't speak to any other non-Uzumaki until you go through the ritual, so please stay in the house today. I'd hate to send Karin-chan and her chains after you."

"Hmph." Ino pouted, not particularly pleased by the turn of events, but it was clear that she was going to abide by her husband's request. "What does the ritual entail?"

Naruto responded by picking her up and giving her a kiss, before putting her back down, only making sure she would no longer be blocking his path before he did so.

Only as he was closing the shower curtain did he respond: "You'll find out tonight, Ino-chan. I love you."

- _The Hokage Tower, Konoha Council Room-_

The Council room was filling up, but with a much smaller crowd than usual. This was not a regular meeting, but a highly classified briefing. Only council members with high enough security clearance were allowed to attend. In addition, due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, all of the guards were ANBU captains.

Unfortunately for the civilians, very few of them had any security clearance, much less the level required for this meeting. Of the normal council members, only Tsunade, the elders, and the Clan Heads would be in attendance. In addition, Jiraya would be there.

Most clans didn't even have an attendant, assistant, or heir present. This meeting required A+ class security clearance. Second only to S Class, A+ was a level of clearance that was very difficult to obtain.

The Hokage, Elders, Jonin Commander, Spy Master, and ANBU Commander were all automatically given S Class clearance upon assuming their roles. A+ Class was given to Clan Heads, the other division heads, and ANBU captains. For everyone else, it was difficult, but not impossible, to earn A+ Clearance.

Given the fact that it was difficult to obtain A+ security clearance, the majority of the clan heads arrived alone.

Kakashi, as a former ANBU captain, had A+ clearance, and was in attendance as the Senju clan's second, with Nawaki being left in the loving care of his doting Aunt, Tenten. Shibi had a cousin, and former ANBU captain, with him. Beyond that, all the other clan heads were unattended.

There were some new faces though, as Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, along with two Suna Elders, were in attendance.

"Thank you all for being here on such short notice." Tsunade began, looking around at the largely empty council chambers. _"_ Uzumaki-dono's wedding, congratulations by the way, Uzuamki-dono, has brought Jiraya back to the village, and with him, some news from one of his highest placed sources. As such, I've declared this meeting an A+ class secret. Jiraya, if you would." The Hokage then motioned to her fellow sanin, who was in a chair normally used by one of the civilian ministers.

Jiraya then stood, and addressed the room. "Thank You, Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama, Honorable elders, my lords, I come before you today with a major breakthrough from my intelligence network." The formality with which the Toad Sage spoke took everyone aback.

He never called Tsunade Hokage-sama. it was always Tsu-chan, Tsunade-chan, Hime, or at most formal, Tsunade. Similarly, he hated the elders, and would never call Danzo honorable, and would never refer to Naruto, or any of the other clan heads, as "my lord." Whatever he wanted to discuss was clearly very serious.

His next words confirmed everyone's suspicions. "This information comes to me from a high ranking source within the Akatsuki's intelligence network. I trust him implicitly, and he has never failed me before."

This was, of course, Itachi Uchiha. Outside of Jiraya, and Itachi himself, the only living people to know that Itachi remained loyal to Konoha were the three elders. Not even Tsunade knew the truth about the Uchiha Massacre, or what had transpired since.

"It seems that preventing them from extracting Kazekage-sama's Bijuu has caused them more problems than we expected, or to be more specific, they were not prepared for the death of Sasori of the Red Sand."

Jiraya took a brief pause, but given how curious most of the room was, Homura prompted him to continue: "How so, Jiraya?"

"Sasori maintained his own spy network. The Akatsuki were largely using it to monitor the jinchuuriki. Because he is dead, they have lost access to his network, and have to rely solely on the efforts of a member named Zetsu, who is an excellent spy, but does not have his own network, he works alone."

"And that means?" Shibi prompted. As ANBU commander, much of his work involved the Akatsuki, so he was quite curious what the ramifications were.

"Short term, Sasori's death, combined with the movements of some of the jinchuuriki over the last year means they have lost track of some of them." came the response. The room was stunned into silence.

"Do we know which jinchuuriki are currently invisible to them?" Danzo spoke, letting a rarely heard sense of urgency creep into his tone.

"Yes. They have temporarily lost the locations of the two, five, seven, and eight tails, though they anticipate begin able to recover all of their locations fairly easily, locating the six tails on the other hand is causing them some problems."

"Why is six a problem for them? And why do they believe they can relocate the others so easily?" Naruto spoke. This news gave him mixed emotions. On one hand, the Akatsuki was still zeroed in on both him and Gaara, along with the three and four tailed jinchuuriki. On the other, Fuu and four others were eluding detection for the moment."

"Simple, Uzumaki-dono." Jiraya began, though the awkwardness of how he referred to Naruto was not lost on anyone, he had just served as Naruto's father at the wedding the day before.

"Two, Five, Seven, and Eight all retain at least some degree of loyalty to their villages, so the Akatsuki assumes that they will all return home at some point. Six on the other hand is a missing-nin who chose not to take part in the Kiri Civil War. As such, no one seems to know his location. Sasori apparently had a sleeper agent with a beat on him, but with Sasori's network lost..."

"Do we know how they are keeping tabs on Kazekage-sama, Uzumaki-dono, and the three and four tails?" Shizune asked.

"Simple assumptions really. They assume that Shukaku will be in Suna since its host is the Kazekage. They assume that the Kyuubi will be in Konoha since its host is a Clan Head. The Three Tails Host died in the civil war, but they assume that when the beast re-spawns it will be in the same spot its host died at."

"And the four tails?" Danzo inquired.

"I can confirm that the four tails jinchuuriki, an Iwa nin named Roshi, was captured, and his Bijuu was extracted." Jiraya's tone was solemn. Almost immediately, Naruto hung his head, and those who knew him well all turned to look at him, assuming he would react that way. Sasuke, who was seated next to Naruto, placed a hand on his quasi-brother's shoulder.

"As troubling as it is to hear that the four tails was extracted, there are two silver linings." Shikaku pointed out. "It weakens Iwa, which will no doubt cause them to back down, and we should see a decrease in skirmishes along their borders with our allies, and the other relates to something Jiraya-sama has yet to speak on." He had been present when Jiraya had briefed Tsunade the day before the wedding, and was aware of what was coming next.

"Indeed, the other silver lining is that, for now, we can confirm that none of the jinchuuriki in our alliance are in immediate danger." Jiraya said, his solemn tone gone, and a small smile upon his face.

"Obviously I'm pleased to hear that given that, as of yesterday, I'm related to one," Inoichi spoke, sparring a glance at his son-in-law, who gave him a half-smile back, "but how do we know that for sure?"

"I met with my agent in the Land of Water." Jiraya began. "After the extraction of the four tails, every Akatsuki field team relocated there, to look for the six tails. Only three of their members are elsewhere. Their leader and his assistant, along with the aforementioned Zetsu, but those three don't actually pursue the Jinchuriki, only the field teams do."

"What of Itachi?" Sasuke asked, voice full of scorn. "As I said, the field teams are all in the Land of Water, either tracking the six tails or waiting for the three tails. That includes the team of Itachi and Kisame, the team of an immortal jashinist named Hidan and the former Taki-nin Kakuzu, and the team of Deidara, the Mad Bomber of Iwa, and their newest member, a man named Tobi."

"What did your agent say about this, 'Tobi?'" Koharu asked. Jiraya shook his head. "My agent doesn't know much about him. The man apparently acts like a petulant child most of the time, but is incredibly dangerous. My agent believes he could be even more powerful than the actual leader of the Akatsuki."

"Speaking of their leader, do we at least know what the three members still on the mainland are doing?" Choza asked.

"Zetsu is mostly in the lands of Lighting and Earth, trying to track down Two, Five, and Eight, though he is supposed to occasionally pop in on Taki as well to try to locate Seven. The Leader and his partner remain at their headquarters almost full time. I don't know what they do, or where they are though." Jiraya responded.

"Either way, this presents us with a unique opportunity." Tsunade took over, signaling an ending to Jiraya's briefing. "With Konoha and Suna largely ignored, this is a great chance for us to change up our defenses, move new spies into position, and come up with new contingencies to allow us to better protect Kazekage-dono and Uzumaki-dono."

"What of Taki? If the Seven Tails isn't there, where is it?" Tsume asked.

"Shibuki has assured me that the Seven Tails is somewhere safe." Tsunade lied. The fewer the number of people who knew just what Fuu was, the better. "Now if there was nothing else that needed to be discussed, thank you all for coming, and you're dismissed."

Naruto lingered a while in the conference room after the meeting ended, speaking mostly with his new Father-in-law. Finally, he headed home in order to begin preparations for the ritual that was to take place that night. On his way out, was able to get a brief glance of another meeting taking place in the Hokage's office, the same people he had seen speaking at his wedding reception. Tsunade, Shizune, Shikaku, and the two Suna elders, though this time joined by Kakashi, who closed the door to the office, preventing anyone outside from getting a sense of what was being discussed.

- _Meanwhile, The Uzumaki Mansion, with Ino-_

It seemed that Naruto really meant what he said about Ino conserving her energy, because he left her with 20 clones, four of which just essentially acted as her personal servants, constantly pampering her, while she supervised the other 16. The most strenuous thing she had to do all day was point to the spot she wanted something moved to

The newly minted Uzumaki Ino sat in a chair, and when she and the clones finished in one room, the four clones that were attending to her simply picked up the chair, with her in it, and carried it to the next room.

As she supervised, one of the four gave her a shoulder massage, another held a tall fern palm and fanned her with it, one gave her a foot rub, and the fourth held a drink to her mouth for her to sip from. At her direction, all four of them were wearing very little clothing.

As soon as they arrived in a room, and the four clones set down her chair and began to pamper her, she directed the other sixteen to do a variety of things. Open wedding presents, write thank you notes for said wedding presents, unseal Naruto and Ino's personal items, put presents away, put the personal items away, pack for the honeymoon, make a list of furniture, appliances, and other home furnishings that the couple still needed, and etc. For Ino, having four scantily clad copies of her man pamper her, and another sixteen to boss around, was pure heaven.

- _That night_ _, Uzumaki Clan Temple-_

Naruto, Ino, and Karin stood just inside the old Uzumaki temple, starring at the wall of masks. Karin, who had spent much of the day feverishly preparing for the night's activities, was consulting a book that Ino had never seen before: _The Guide to Ceremonies, Rituals, and Festivals of the Uzumaki Clan and the Village of Uzushiogakure,_ making sure that she selected the correct masks for the ritual.

After closing the book and handing it to Naruto, the red head pulled down three of the masks. The first was blank. There were not even slots for the eyes or the mouth, only two small breathing holes where the person wearing the mask's nose would be.

The second depicted a human face. The expression on the face seemed to imply great focus. The third was very ornate. Again, it was a human face, but the face was wearing plenty of ornate jewelry. Clearly, the mask was depicting a wealthy and/or important figure.

With the necessary masks, Naruto led the trio into one of the large, empty, rooms in the temple that they had once used to practice Uzumaki style Taijutsu in secret. At the time, they had assumed that the room had no greater purpose, but since Naruto had discovered this new book, he and Karin now new better.

Naruto and Karin positioned themselves in the center of the room, and ran through several hand signs, before slamming their palms into the ground, almost like a bloodless version of the summoning jutsu. Sensing Uzumaki chakra, the seals in the floor began to activate, and a large, red Uzumaki spiral appeared in the center of the floor. In addition, a hole opened in the floor near the edge of the spiral, and a large, throne-like chair rose up to fill the hole.

Ino, who still had no idea what the ritual consisted of, was very confused, and asked what was going on. Finally, after refusing to give her any further information for most of the day, Naruto began to explain things to her.

"On the day we first discovered the library, you found that letter my mom left for me. It turns out, that wasn't the only thing she left hidden for me in the library. There was also a second letter, along with this book, hiding behind a seal that would only react to Uzumaki Chakra." He began.

"Why didn't you tell me about that?" Ino asked, clearly annoyed to have not been informed about such a big deal. "Sorry, Ino-chan, but the letter specifically said that I couldn't let any non Uzumaki know about the book, some of the clan's most important secrets are in this thing. Anyway, the letter mentioned that I should look at the Clan Adoption Ritual, since I'd have to perform it after getting married, and gave me the page numbers in the book for the ceremony."

"So are you finally going to tell me what happens during the ritual?" Ino asked. This time, it was Karin who answered: "Why don't we discuss the details while completing the first step of the ritual?" As she spoke, she pulled out a scroll and unsealed the contents: three bowls of Ramen.

*Slap* the sound of Ino's hand hitting her face reverberated across the large, empty room, creating an echo. "Ramen? really? That's the first step of the ritual?" "Not just this ritual, Ino-chan." Naruto said, beaming with delight. "It's the first step in every Uzumaki ritual."

After offering their thanks for the meal, the three of them sat in a circle and began to eat. As they did, Naruto and Karin began to explain the rest of the ritual to Ino.

Wearing the mask that had no face, Ino would lie on her stomach in the center of the spiral. Her back would need to be bare. Karin, who would be wearing the second mask, would be drawing a large seal on Ino's back, and would need as much skin as possible. The seal would take the shape of the Uzuamki Crest, and would be written in a special ink, which Karin had spent many hours preparing.

Seeing a possible opportunity to revive the clan one day, Mito Senju, nee Uzumaki, had allowed Kushina to take some of her blood while she was on her death bed, and the latter had carefully preserved it, just to be used in such a ceremony for her future child's spouse. That blood, the blood of the wife of the 1st Hokage, of a member of the royal family of Uzu, was mixed into the ink Karin would use.

While Karin drew the seal, Naruto, wearing the third mask, would be seated in the throne, waiting. Once Karin was done, Ino would kneel in the center of the crest, with her head bowed in Naruto's direction. Naruto would then lead his bride through the swearing of an oath, and then activate the seal on her back.

Once activated, the seal would begin to seep into Ino's skin, and would eventually only leave a tiny Uzumaki Crest in the center of her back, which would appear to be a tattoo. At that point, the pain would be so great that Ino would pass out, and once she was unconscious, the real work of the seal would begin.

The point of the seal, and the ritual, was twofold. The first was give the person undergoing the ritual the chakra signature of an Uzumaki. This would allow them to open all Uzumaki seals, including the ones that required Uzumaki blood or chakra to do so.

The second, and far more important purpose, was to ensure that the Uzumaki bloodline did not become too diluted. As a clan that held genetic Kekkai Genkai, maintaining a certain amount of purity in the gene pool was of the utmost importance to the clan, as it was with clans like the Hyuga, Uchiha, and various other clans around the elemental nations. Allow the gene pool to become too diluted, and a clan would risk loosing the very abilities that made them unique.

Some clans, like the Hyuga, got around this by simply forbidding marriage outside of the clan. The Uchiha too had frowned upon relationships with outsiders, though Sasuke had ignored that practice out of necessity, there weren't any Uchiha women remaining.

The Uzumaki had taken a different approach. The seal masters of old had designed a seal to be used on anyone who married into the clan. This seal would modify the eggs or sperm of the person it was on, making it so that, for all intensive purposes, the genes they passed on would be those of someone who was just shy of being a pureblooded Uzumaki.

While Ino understood the need to maintain genetic purity, she still didn't like the idea, and reacted violently too it, throwing her empty bowl against a wall, shattering it, and standing up to leave. "I won't go through such a thing. You're asking me to basically become a surrogate mother! My children won't have any part of me in them! I refuse!"

"No, please, Ino-sama! You don't understand! That's not what will happen at all!" Karin protested, but it was too late, Ino had already stormed out of the room, and was making her way towards the exit. _How could they! I can't believe Naruto-kun could be so selfish as to not allow me to be a biological mother to our future kids!_

In her mind, what the seal did was take the blood of Mito Uzumaki, and use that as a template to completely overwrite the DNA stored in her eggs, so that any children that she gave birth too would essentially be the child of Naruto and Mito, with her being nothing more than a surrogate. Needless to say, the idea infuriated her.

Just as she reached the door out of the temple, a familiar set of arms wrapped themselves around her waist, and pulled her back from the door, and into her husband's chest. Before she could even begin to struggle to free herself, she head him speak, much softer than normal, in an attempt to calm her down.

"Do you really think I'd make you be a surrogate mother?" "Then what do you call that seal?" she spat back at him, struggling to escape from his grasp. The more she struggled, the tighter he held her, as he calmly stated: "you didn't let Karin-chan finish explaining the seal." He then kissed her neck, sending a shiver down her spine, before speaking again.

"How about we go back and let Karin finish her explanation. If you don't like it, I won't force you to go through with it." "Really?" Ino asked. "Really, your happiness is more important to me."

As he had so often in the past, Naruto had made Ino's anger with him disappear, and she just meekly nodder her assent, leading to a kiss on the cheek and a soft "thank you" from Naruto, before he released her, and held her hand as he guided her back to the room they had been in.

Karin was clearly relieved as she saw Naruto walk back into the room with Ino in tow, and almost immediately moved to make things right. "My apologies, Ino-sama, I should have begun by saying that the seal only changes the DNA in your eggs in a few small areas. All humans share very similar DNA. The genetic differences between an Uzumaki and a non Uzumaki are less than 1/10th of one percent of a strand of DNA."

"Why don't you give her an example." Naruto said, as he sat back down, this time in the throne, brining Ino in to sit on his lap as he held her, both to comfort her and ensure that she wouldn't storm off again.

"Let's take your appearance, Ino-sama." Karin began. "The only thing that the seal will change in the DNA of your eggs is hair color. It will overwrite the genes to make it so that your children are 99.9% likely to have red hair, but otherwise it will not change a single thing about the genes that determine appearance. Everything else will still be yours."

"So it will only change the things that are necessary for someone to be an Uzumaki?" Ino asked. "Correct." Karin said. "It will give all of your eggs the genes necessary for red hair, and the Uzumaki Kekkai Genkai, but everything else will be left alone." "And the only thing it will change about me is my chakra signature?" "That's correct."

"So if I go through this, Naruto-kun and my future children will be 3/4 Uzumaki, while if we don't they will only be 1/8 Uzumaki?" "Yes." "What is the difference?" Karin grinned, she was fascinated with things like biology and genetics, and quickly launched into an impromptu lecture.

"Pure blooded Uzumaki like myself possess everything, but even in the old days we were few and far between. People possessing 90%-99.9% Uzumaki ancestry are considered full blooded, and the only thing they lose is the curse of the healing chakra. 75% to 90% is considered 3/4 Uzumaki, and in addition to losing the curse, their sensory abilities are not as strong. At Half Uzumaki, like Naruto-sama, everything takes more chakra, but there are no further losses. At 1/4 like Tsunade-sama, the ability to use chakra chains is lost, and it is much less likely that one will be a sensor, but the strong life force and extra large chakra reserves are still there. At 1/8, only the large chakra reserves remain."

"So if I don't go through with this, my children will have a shorter than average (by Uzumaki standards) life span, and not have any of the kekkai genkai except large chakra reserves?" "Yes."

Ino took a brief moment to think, and there was clearly some tension in the air in the temple, as Naruto and Karin waited with baited breath for her decision.

Eventually, she got off of Naruto's lap, and walked over to Karin, embracing the red-head in a hug. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Karin-nee." "Think nothing of it, Ino-sama. if I didn't have all the information, I probably would have jumped to a similar conclusion."

Ino then returned to Naruto's lap, only this time she affectionately nuzzled her head into his chest. "I'll do it, for the sake of our future kids." Naruto could only smile and say "I love you."

A few minutes later, after Naruto and Ino had their moment, everyone was ready to begin the ritual. The three of them donned their masks, as Ino stripped down to allow her back to be completely bare, before lying on the ground in the middle of the Uzumkai crest. Karin then got to work drawing the seal on her back.

It took about an hour, but eventually an Uzumaki crest made out of Fuinjutsu characters stretched from the base of Ino's neck down to her waist, and from the outer most edge of one shoulder blade to the other. With her work done, Karin tapped Ino's back a few times, a signal for Ino to take her next position.

Ino moved so that she was on her knees, bent down and with head bowed so that her nose was almost touching the ground, arms stretched out past her head as far as they could go.

Seeing that she was ready for the next step, Naruto began to speak, following the script laid out in the guide to this particular ceremony.

"Yamanaka Ino, you have come before me seeking refuge and kinship with the children of the whirlpools. Do you swear that you do so of your own free will, and with only good intentions?"

"I do so swear."

"Do you rescind any membership and loyalty to any other clans you may have been affiliated with?"

"I herby rescind my membership in the Yamanaka Clan, and disavow any loyalty I may have once had to them."

"Do you swear loyalty and devotion to the Uzumaki clan above all, and obedience to your superiors in the clan?"

"I swear my complete loyalty and total devotion to the Uzumaki Clan above all else, and obedience to my superiors in the clan." That last part was really a moot point, since as the clan head's wife she had no superiors, but it was still in the script.

With her oaths sworn, Naruto couldn't help but be elated, not that anyone could tell, since the mask was preventing anyone from viewing his facial expressions. He quickly spoke his final lines.

"Then I, Uzumaki Naruto, son of Uzumaki Kushina, descended from the Uzumaki lords of old, herby proclaim you Uzumaki Ino, daughter of the whirlpools. Let the sealing begin." With those words, Naruto made a ram seal, and the ink on Ino's back reacted, as it began to glow the same shade of red as the crest on the floor.

Even though she was warned that the sealing would be a painful process, Ino was still surprised at just how much it hurt, and let out a scream before her world went black, the pain fading into the sweet oblivion of unconsciousness.

Naruto stood and made his way over to Ino, where Karin was already inspecting the seal and taking Ino's pulse. "Everything looks good, Naruto-sama. The seal is acting as it should, and so far Ino-sama's body seems receptive to it."

"What are the chances that something could still go wrong?" "Slim to none, all reports that I've read about mishaps with this seal in the past involve something happening almost immediately after the seal is activated. Enough time has passed that she should be fine."

Naruto let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding, relieved that things were going well. Even though he trusted Karin's fuinjutsu knowledge, he had still been concerned when he heard his beloved scream. With everything going well, he removed his mask and set it aside, before bending down to pick up his now sleeping bride.

"I'm taking her home and putting her in bed. Do you mind cleaning up here and putting the masks back, Karin-chan?" "Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have insisted that you leave all of the clean up to me anyways, Naruto-sama." Karin responded, as she bowed to her lord.

"Thanks, Karin-chan. Good work today, have a good night." With a grateful nod, and those parting words, Naruto strode out of the temple, Ino in his arms. He was both exuberant and exhausted.

On one hand, while Naruto had meant what he had said about Ino's happiness being more important than preserving a certain genetic standard, he would have still been a bit disappointed had she decided not to undergo the ritual. That was no longer a problem.

His wife was now officially an Uzumaki, and because of the fuinjutsu that was currently going to work inside her body, the next generation of the clan would have an even stronger connection to their clan abilities than he did.

On the other hand, between the wedding the day before, the briefing that day, and the ritual that night, Naruto was worn out. He needed a good night's sleep. So upon tucking Ino under the covers, he got himself ready for bed, before crawling in next to her, giving her a light kiss on the cheek, and almost immediately surrendering to sleep himself, leaving the Uzumaki mansion completely peaceful and calm.

-End of Chapter-

* * *

This was originally going to be split into two chapters, but ultimately I combined everything into one, because I was planning on releasing both chapters at the same time, but realized that would have only caused further delays.

Q: Does Naruto being in charge of the barrier corp pose a threat to the secrecy of Foundation bases?

A: No. If Danzo has security in place that can even hide the Foundation from the Byakugan (which he does, I mention it in one of the earlier chapters), then he certainly has taken precautions against sensor type ninja and fuinjutsu as well. I'd imagine Naruto might pose a risk once he attains Sage mode, but in the mean time, no.

Q: (Combination of two questions) Where has Jiraya been? Is Jiraya going to die?

A: Out and about. He left again to do spy stuff right after dropping Naruto off. He'll also leave again between this chapter and the next one. As for the issue of his death, someone's asking for spoilers.

Q: Where has the Akatsuki been?

A: Well, you got a little update in this chapter. While I know I threw in Kazekage rescue a few chapters ago, the Akatsuki aren't really a priority for me right now. I wanted to get them out of the way until I'm ready for them, thus I've put them in the Land of Water, hunting Utakata and waiting for the 3-Tails to reappear. They'll be back eventually, as I do have plans for some of them. But for now, they are in the Land of Water.

Q: You realize you have a plot hole right? You said Hinata is the only main family Hyuga to work for Konoha, but Ino's opponent in the chunin exams was also main family!

A: Yes, I am aware. I have a patch/retcon prepared, just waiting for the right opportunity to introduce it.

Next Time: With the Uzumaki Wedding plot wrapped up, we begin a new plot: "Uzumaki Homecoming."

As always, thanks for reading

-Col. Bogey


	17. Chapter 17: Uzumaki Homecoming

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu/Shindenshin Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

- _One Week Later-_

Having just returned from his week of vacation, Naruto strode into the Hokage tower with a look of fierce determination on his face. While he had certainly enjoyed, and taken advantage of, his week alone with Ino, he had also been unable to sleep in, despite Ino's insistence that he do so, his mind too focused on an idea to fully enjoy his vacation.

Every morning, he had woken up at his usual time, and sat down and wracked his brain for two or three hours until Ino, who would sleep in, woke up. Whenever she was awake, he gave her his complete focus and attention, but whenever he was up and she wasn't, his mind returned to a plan that had slowly been forming in his mind.

Immediately upon checking in with Kotetsu and Izumo, technically his subordinates, at the gates of Konoha, he sent a clone with Ino to help her unpack, while he himself went to present his plan, now fully fleshed out, to the Hokage.

Tsunade was pulled from the dull, mind numbing embrace of paperwork by her secretary's voice saying "Hokage-sama, Uzumaki-sama is here to see you." Eager for a distraction, she motioned for Naruto to be shown in, and greeted him as he sat down in the chair across from her. "So, Naruto, did you two have fun on your honeymoon?"

For a moment, Naruto's face turned bright red as he thought of some of the activities he and Ino had enjoyed on their week away, but he quickly regained his composure and pressed ahead. "It was a good time, but I'm not here as a Clan head, or as a jonin of the Barrier Corp, or even as a distant relative of yours, Hokage-sama. I'm here as a prospective client."

"Really? Then I'm sure you realize that if you're here to place another D-rank or something like that you should be at the mission assignment office, and not wasting my time."

"Actually, Hokage-sama, the mission I'd like to request is most likely high ranking enough as to require your direct approval."

Tsunade was now very curious. Everything C or D rank was approved and processed, or rejected, by the mission assignment office, Shikaku's subordinates. Shikaku himself handled B rank assignments. If Naruto felt that only the Hokage could accept or reject his proposal, then he must have thought the mission could be A or S ranked.

Intrigued, she grabbed the scroll that Naruto was holding out for her, opened it, and began to read. Silence reigned over her office for several minutes, as she read, then reread the proposal, before setting the scroll down, closing her eyes, and taking a contemplative position.

Naruto stood by, waiting as Tsunade debated the merits of the mission, hoping he had done enough to at least convince her to hear him out. If he was allowed to discuss his proposal with her, he was sure that he could convince her to approve it.

Eventually, Tsunade opened her eyes and spoke. "There's no way that an escort mission to a non-war zone would be A or S rank. Unless that is, one of the people being escorted was not only a clan head, but a known target of a criminal organization such as the Akatsuki."

"That's correct, Hokage-sama. The mission is to escort Karin-chan and I to the ruins of Uzu, and then guard as as we investigate our clan's ancestral home."

"And what makes you think I'll allow you to leave the village to do such a thing?" Tsunade enquired. "Not only are you a target of the Akatsuki, but as a Clan Head you are a valuable hostage, and you're supposed to be at the Barrier Corp, gaining experience so you can eventually take over running that division."

Naruto nodded, he understood all of that, and was prepared for it. "As Pervy Sage already pointed out, all the Akatsuki teams are in the Land of Water, there's a hundred kilometers of ocean between the ruins of Uzu and the closest island that is part of the Land of Water. As for being a valuable hostage: that's why I'm hiring ninja to accompany us, and as for the Barrier Corp, I've taken care of that.

- _Flashback_ _, less than a week before the wedding_ -

As always, Kotetsu and Izumo were stationed at the front gate, going through the motions of processing visitors and returning residents, along with Shinobi who were inbound from, and outbound to, missions. This particular day had been exceptionally slow. It was already noon, and only one person had come through the gates, a civilian man who had been born in Konoha, but now lived in the capital, returning to visit his aging parents.

There hadn't even been any shinobi leaving through the gates for missions. It had, thus far, been and incredibly slow day, and the two chunin gate guards were bored out of their minds. Thus, the unexpected arrival of one of the Barrier Corp's newest members proved a welcome distraction.

"Hey, Kotetsu, look who it is!" Izumo exclaimed, before standing, bowing, and mustering up the greatest amount of sarcasm he could, to greet their guest. "What can two humble chunin do for you today, Uzumaki-sama?"

Naruto frowned in response. No matter how many times he told these two not to call him that, they insisted on doing so in the most over the top manner they could think of. Clearly, they were mocking him.

"Wow, you must be really trying to avoid your fiance if you're so desperate that you're coming to visit us." Kotetsu said, joining in on the good-natured ribbing. That being said, he hit a sore spot for Naruto, who rubbed the back of his head, as he often did when embarrassed, while defending his absence from the last minute wedding preparations. "Hey, I sent a clone."

The blank stares he received back told him that wasn't an acceptable excuse, so he tried again. "It's not that I don't want to help. I do, but I'm busy with the barrier corp." Again, blank stare.

"Ok, Ok. I love Ino-chan, but the memories I get from the clones I send to help her are all memories of my clones being terrified of her...I'm kinda scared to go help."

For a few seconds, Naruto continued to be met with blank stares, before Kotetsu and Izumo broke into laughter. Only instead of laughing with him, like they did when they were teasing him, this time they were actually laughing at him.

"Hmph. Serves me right for thinking I could help you guys out today, I guess I'll take my offer elsewhere." Naruto said, which caused the laughing to cease, as Kotetsu and Izumo both looked at him curiously.

"What do you have for us?" Izumo asked, any signs of his laughter now gone, he was all business.

"You two are among the most senior members of the Barrier Corp, you have enough experience that you both could be jonin, yet you're still chunin. As you know, we're critically short on jonin and tobuketsu jonin at the moment. I want to know what it would take to get you two to go for a promotion."

Naruto waited for a response in an awkward silence, as Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other and nodded, before Kotetsu spoke. "It's not that we haven't' tried before, it's that the requirements are too restrictive. We know almost nothing about Fuinjutsu, but in order to get promoted, we'd have to pass a damn test on the sealing arts. All we do is guard the gate, why do we need to know Fuinjutsu?"

Before he and his clones started working at the Barrier Corp, Naruto probably would have agreed with that sentiment, but after so many hours of on the job experience, he knew better. "What if there is an enemy at the gate? Using Fuinjutsu on the gate could help prevent a battering ram from breaking through. If anything it would buy the village more time to muster the troops and evacuate the civilians."

"And that, is why we aren't jonin. All our years of experience aside, neither of us would have thought of that." Izumo said, before Kotetsu finished the sentence. "And even if we did think of it, neither of us would know how to do that."

Naruto's response was to make a hand sign, and a single Naruto clone poofed into existence. "Go to Karin-chan, and ask her to make a clone and send it to the gate every morning. The clone will teach Fuinjutsu to Kotetsu and Izumo." Naruto said, and his clone nodded and ran off to find his aforementioned clanswoman.

Naruto then turned his attention back to the two gate guards, and pulled out a copy of the Fuinjutsu test used for promotion in the Barrier Corp. "Give this to Karin-chan, she'll teach you the seals needed for the test, and you guys will be promoted in no time."

Naruto then ran off, having several other Barrier Corp chunin to talk to about going for promotion. If he was going to be in charge of this division one day, he'd need not only an enlarged officer corp underneath him, but one that owed much of their loyalty, and possibly even their jonin status, to him.

He left behind two grinning chunin, whose boredom was now abated by imagining all the things they'd buy after receiving the post-promotion pay raise.

-End Flashback-

"If you look through all of these stacks of paperwork, you'll find 10 applications for barrier corp chunin to be promoted to Tobuketsu jonin. At least 4 of them have enough experience that they should be able to bypass the rank of Tobuketsu, and proceed straight to jonin. More than enough new officers to cover my absence." Naruto said, sure of himself.

Tsunade smiled, having already taken care of that particular stack of paperwork. She had already approved all of those promotions, and agreed that the new influx of officers would be enough to cover Naruto's absence for a bit longer. In addition, he was right about the Aktasuki as well, this was likely the safest time for him to leave the village. She had just wanted to test him, something she wasn't quite done doing.

"Why do you think you can find anything more in Uzu when your own mother already searched it and brought back everything she could find?"

"Time." Naruto said. "It's been two decades since a serious expedition was launched, during that time, several storms and hurricanes have battered the area, and it's possible that the ruins have shifted, opening up new areas for excavation."

Again, an acceptable answer, but Tsunade had one final test before she made her decision on the mission: "Explain the team of shinobi you have requested to accompany you."

"I'm requesting one three man team, as well as two additional shinobi" Naruto began. "Kakashi-sensei will be in charge of the team, he is a former ANBU captain after all. With him will be Gai-sensei and Neji. With his Byakugan, Neji will be very useful on the mission, while the sensei are both formidable opponents, who also have great teamwork due to their longstanding rivalry."

"And the other two?" "Ino-chan and Kiba. Their job is to serve as bodyguards. Ino-chan as mine, and Kiba as Karin-chan's."

Tsunade smirked. Naruto was clearly gaming the system there. Ino's pay for the mission would go right back into the bank account that paid for the mission in the first place.

Still, she understood why Naruto wanted Ino and Kiba to go along, the ruins were the ancestral home of the clan, and Naruto wanted to make sure all its members and future member got a chance to experience it. Hell, she was only 1/4 Uzumaki, and had lived all of her life as a Senju, but there was even a small part of Tsunade that wanted to see the ruins of her grandmother's home village.

In moments like these, she couldn't help but feel proud of the man Naruto was becoming. A younger Naruto would have come in and simply demanded to go on such a mission. Hell, even if she said no, he probably would have gone anyways, knowing he would be able to get away with it without major consequences (beyond a couple days in the hospital after Tsunade got done scolding him upon his return,) because of the soft spot she had for him.

But now, after three years away, and a year as a clan head, while Naruto was still sometimes a baka, he was much more mature. Her smirk grew into a full on smile, as she allowed the similarities between Naruto and her younger brother to take her back to simpler times, before she spoke the words she had known she'd be saying from the second she saw what was on the scroll. "All right, I'll approve your request, but you won't be able to leave for at least a week."

"Huh? Why?" Full of enthusiasm for this project, Naruto wanted to get going right away, but Tsunade had other plans. "I'm afraid that the only member of your requested team who is available right now is Kiba." Tsunade explained, confusing Naruto even further, since he knew his wife was available for such a task.

Seeing his confused expression, Tsunade didn't leave Naruto in the dark for long. "Kakashi, Gai, Neji, and Ino are all needed at a function being held at the Senju compound in 5 days. Kakashi will be saying farewell to a family member, Gai and Neji to a teammate, and Ino to a friend. You're also invited, Naruto."

"Did something happen to Tenten?" Naruto asked, very concerned now. Team Gai's weapons specialist, who was also Kakashi's sister-in-law, and one of Ino's bridesmaids, was the only person who checked all of those boxes. Why were they saying farewell to her? Hopefully something hadn't happened on a mission while he and Ino were out of town.

"Konoha and Suna, at the request of the Senju, Subaku, and Nara Clans, have agreed to a Kunoichi swap. Temari will be joining Konoha, and is betrothed to Shikamaru. In return, my daughter has been betrothed to the Kazekage." Tsunade responded, clearly with some mixed emotions on the subject. "She'll be joining Gaara and the other Suna villagers who came to your wedding as they return to their village, and will begin life as a Kunoichi of Suna upon arrival there."

"Oh." was all that a shocked Naruto could manage to say for a moment. Suddenly it hit him, "That's what you, Shizune-nee-chan, and Shikaku-san were talking to those Suna elders about after my wedding." Tsunade nodded, and there was an awkward silence before Naruto spoke again. "That's fine, Karin-chan and I can wait until after the Suna nins have left. Congratulations, Hokage-sama."

-Six Days Later _-_

"Your mission is as follows: Kakashi, Gai, and Neji will escort the clients to the target area, and then proceed to secure the area while the clients are conducting their investigation. Kakashi will be in charge of this team. Ino and Kiba are to act as the bodyguards for the clients, and as such will be acting independently from the escort team. You two will report directly to your charges, not Kakashi. All of you were specifically requested by the clients."

Kakashi, Gai, Neji, Ino, and Kiba were assembled in Tsunade's office, going over their briefing. They had only said their farewells to Tenten that morning, as she had left through the village gates, now wearing a Suna Headband, with her betrothed, future brother-in-law, and their escorts. Now, they had been called in for a mission briefing. Only Tsunade and Ino had prior knowledge of the mission, so the rest were finding out the details for the first time.

"And just who are our clients, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked, suspiciously, something about this didn't feel right, "and to where are we escorting them?" "That would be us," came a familiar voice from behind them. The assembled Ninja turned around to find Naruto and Karin standing just inside the entrance to Tsunade's office. "And our destination is Uzu."

The room was stunned into silence. Suddenly, everything about this seemingly strange mission made sense. The escort team were all jonin, and such missions were usually beneath people of that rank, but not if the person they were escorting was as high profile a figure as Naruto. Meanwhile, most clients preferred jonin as bodyguards, not chunin, but the idea of Naruto and Karin hiring Ino and Kiba despite their lower rank made sense, though it was perhaps a bit problematic that their charges were their romantic partners.

"Well then, now that everyone has the details of the mission, you're dismissed for now. You're leaving first thing tomorrow, so be prepared." Tsunade said, breaking the silence.

- _The Next Morning-_

As the sun rose over the horizon, eight figures walked out of the gates of Konoha, before moving at speeds that only Shinobi could, darting through the forests that surrounded the village.

They moved in a triangular formation. Neji was the forward point, his Byakugan scanning the surrounding woodlands for potential threats. Behind him, came Naruto and Ino, Ino just slightly ahead of her husband in case there were any oncoming threats. After all, he was the client and she was the guard. They had to at least pretend to be professional.

Behind them came Karin and Kiba, while the back row consisted of Akamaru following behind his master, with Kakashi and Gai taking the outer points of the triangle.

Their first day of travel was uneventful, and as night began to fall they found a clearing in the forest, one that was often used by Konoha Shinobi who were heading east, and settled down to make camp. Less than an hour later, the ninja found themselves seated around a small fire, which they had decided to make due to the relative safety provided by the fact that they were still inside the borders of the Land of Fire.

"We made good time today, but it will still take a couple more days before we reach the former Land of Whirlpools, and then probably a half a day until we reach the ruins of Uzu proper." Kakashi said, speaking with some authority. "The escort team will be responsible for the watch shifts, I'll go first, followed by Gai, and then Neji."

"And you can be sure that I'll be guarding my client's body tonight." Ino said, getting a slight chuckle out of Naruto, but her lecherous joke was ignored by everyone else.

A yawn escaped from Karin's mouth, and she stood up and headed over to her tent. "I'm tired from all the running today, I'll see you in the morning, Naruto-sama, Ino-sama...Kiba-kun, are you coming?" "I'll be there in a bit, Karin-chan." Kiba responded as he looked over to his fiance.

Again, the escort team paid no mind to the interactions of the Uzumaki couples, but Naruto and Ino were both floored at the idea that Karin and Kiba were sharing a tent. It wasn't standard procedure for bodyguards to share a tent with their client. Ino was only doing so since she and Naruto were married, but as far as she and her husband knew, Karin and Kiba liked each other, but weren't ready to start doing things like sleeping together.

Kiba turned back around toward the fire, to see the lord and lady of the clan he had been promised to staring at him with shocked expressions, and realized that he wouldn't be going to bed tonight without giving them some sort of explanation.

"Um...are you mad...Naruto?" He asked, hesitantly, knowing the man was overprotective of his precious people, Karin included."

"What? No, I'm not mad. There's nothing in the marriage contract between the Inuzuka and Uzumaki that prevents...this. I'm just surprised, last I talked to the two of you, it didn't seem like your relationship had come this far yet."

"Yeah...about that..." Now it was Kiba showing tell tale signs of embarrassment, and to make matters worse for him, Akamaru had abandoned him to lie down in front of the entrance to Karin's tent. He had to do this on his own.

"We uh...we may have both gotten super drunk at your wedding reception and ended up hooking up. I don't really remember. I just remember waking up in Karin-chan's bed the next morning, with her sprawled across me."

Ino stifled a giggle, but Naruto suddenly got a serious look on is face. "And that leads you to share a tent now how?" "Well...uh...seeing each other like that the morning after made us realize we probably made a mistake. So, after you guys left for you honeymoon, we decided to correct it by spending another night together well, only this time we'd be sober so we could remember everything."

"And?" Naruto prompted. "Well...the physical intimacy has definitely brought us closer together. I promise we aren't doing anything tonight though, it'd be irresponsible to do something like that on a mission."

For a few moments Naruto was silent, contemplating what Kiba told him, as Ino watched on. During that time, Neji and Gai took the opportunity to slip into their tents, while Kakashi jumped up into the trees to begin the watch. This was veering into a conversation they wanted no part of.

For Kiba, it seemed like Naruto was taking forever, but finally he spoke again. "I agree, it would be irresponsible to fool around on a mission. Isn't that right, Ino-chan?"

Ino visibly deflated at his words, and while she said all the right things, her non-verbal response showed her disappointment "Yeah...irresponsible...who'd be so reckless? Not us. Naruto-kun and I are the picture of professionalism."

Having had his fun with Ino, Naruto turned his attention back to Kiba "I'm not going to have to ask Tsume-sama to move up the wedding date am I? While in most aspects we are a pretty flexible clan, there is one element that the Uzumaki are very traditional on: illegitimate children are frowned upon."

"No, No!" Kiba protested, refuting Naruto's implication. "I'm not sure about that first time when we were drunk, but other than that time, we've been very careful and taken every precaution. Plus, if she was pregnant from that first time, I'd be able to smell the difference in her scent by now."

Naruto nodded, "If you're taking precautions then I don't see the need to interfere with the personal lives of my clan member and future clan member, have a good night, Kiba. Come on, Ino-chan, let's turn in."

After Naruto and Ino's tent was closed, Kiba let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. Just then, the reason they were using tents, not normally standard on missions, became apparent, as it began to rain, heavily. Kiba quickly put out the fire, before going over to his own tent and letting Akamaru in, he stepped in and zipped up the door behind him.

In just a few minutes, he was lying on his side, one arm around Karin, pulling her into his chest, while Akamaru lay at his back. In this small, enclosed world, with his two most important companions at his sides, Kiba was perfectly content.

- _Three Days Later-_

"We are approaching the ruins of what appears to be some sort of tower or guard post. I estimate we'll be there in about 10 minutes." Neji called from the front of the group. Ever since the party had left the Land of Fire, they had been taking more precautions. Their formation was much tighter, there were no fires at night, and Neji only took the minimum amount of time to rest his dojutsu.

"I suggest we stop there to rest and prepare before entering the village proper." Kakashi called forward. "I was thinking the same thing." Naruto called back, as the client, he ultimately had authority, and could have instructed everyone to continue to push forward if he wanted to. Thankfully for everyone, he and his sensei were on the same page.

In just a few minutes, the group was huddled inside the ruins of what had once been a lookout tower. Naruto and Karin had unsealed, and were pouring over, some maps, both ones made before the village's destruction, and ones that Kushina had put together during Konoha's last foray into the ruined village. Meanwhile, Neji took a few moments to scan the area with his Byakugan, before deactivating it to conserve chakra.

"It looks like we are still several kilometers from the village proper," the Hyuga reported, "but even without putting much chakra into my eyes, I can still make out the ruins of what appears to have been a wall. Beyond that, though, something is interfering with the Byakugan."

"That would be the secondary barrier." Naruto said, not looking up from the maps he was looking at. "Uzu had two barriers, the first was a physical barrier, and it was breached and destroyed as part of the assault on the village. The second barrier wouldn't physically stop anyone, but would prevent dojutsu from spying on the interior of the village, and mass genjutsu from being cast. All the reports say that that second barrier survived the attack, I guess we can confirm that it is still active."

"Shouldn't it have run out of chakra and dissipated by now?" Kiba asked "It's been what, thirty years?" "Never underestimate the Uzumaki Clan's expertise in seals and barriers." Gai responded. "If anyone could make a barrier so infused with the power of youth that it could last for three decades, it is the Uzumaki!"

"I appreciate the compliment, Gai-sensei, but we aren't wizards or anything like that. There has to be some source of chakra to power the barrier, and if it has been up for thirty years, and covering an area as big as a village, it has to be a pretty big sources of chakra." Naruto responded.

"It's also a problem for us." Karin pointed out. "With the barrier up, Neji-san's Byakugan is useless. If we were able to lift the barrier, he would be able to spot potential points of interest for us to investigate, it would save us a lot of time, possibly even weeks."

"So it sounds like our first objective is to find and disable the source of the barrier." Kakashi observed. "It depends on what type of source the barrier is coming from." Ino responded. "There are a number of ways to power an Uzumaki barrier or seal, and some of them might not be possible for us to find."

Ino stayed vague in her explanation, since Uzumaki Fuinjutsu was a closely guarded secret technique, a mystery to all but the members of the clan, but she had a point. If the barrier had been made using seals that could draw in and convert solar energy into chakra, a difficult to master, but technically possible type of Uzumaki Seal, it might be impossible to deactivate the barrier.

"I would think there would be times when Uzu would want to disable the barrier." Karin said, "Sort of a failsafe, if someone conquered the village for example, the Uzumaki who escaped and would, inevitably, try to reclaim it would want to be able to use things like mass genjutsu. My guess is that the barrier has a control panel somewhere."

"You can set up a control panel for seals?" Neji asked, surprised by the fact. "Yeah, Konoha uses them too." Naruto responded. "The actual calligraphy used to make the seal or barrier is written into the control panel, allowing access to the formula without actually standing at the barrier itself."

"It is said that much of Konoha's barrier based defenses are based on Uzu's." Kakashi noted. Having become intimately familiar with Konoha's usage of barriers and seals due to his new position, Kakashi's words provided Naruto with an idea.

"Neji, can you find the main gate? The maps say it should be South East of where we currently are," he asked. Neji didn't verbally respond, rather, he activated his Byakugan and began to scan the area. A minute or two later, he responded. "It seems to be about 15 kilometers from our current position."

"Then that's where we're heading first." Naruto said. "Konoha's system has two control panels for the barriers, one is in Barrier Corp HQ, and the other is in the Gatehouse. Only when both are deactivated do the barriers drop."

"So you're saying we'll need to find two control panels here too?" Kiba asked. "No," Naruto responded. "records from Konoha's last expedition here indicate that the building that housed Uzu's equivalent of our Barrier Corp was completely destroyed. Most likely the attackers were scared of leaving a building full of dormant seals in tact. In destroying the building, they destroyed all the seals hardwired to it."

"So if we can deactivate the barrier at the Gatehouse, Neji will be able to use his youth powered eyesight to assist in your objectives, I see. A most youthful plan, Naruto-kun!" Gai exclaimed.

"Well then, let's get going." Kakashi said, and everyone took their positions and headed out of the ruined gate, heading south-east.

The group got within two kilometers of the main gate of Uzu before Kiba stopped them, calling out "Wait" and protectively stepping in front of Karin. Akamaru was also on alert, letting out a soft growl.

Seeing their reactions, and assuming they smelled something they didn't like, the escort team took defensive positions. Ino moved in front of Naruto, who had also taken a fighting stance, just because Ino's job was to guard him didn't mean he was just going to sit back and watch her fight.

"I smell a large group of people." Kiba said. Neji's face contorted itself into a frown. "They must be inside the barrier, otherwise I would have seen them with my Byakugan." he responded, frustrated. He was supposed to be the one detecting possible threats, not the Inuzuka.

"What can you tell us about them?" Kakashi asked. "Most of them stink, and I smell rusting metal. I'm guessing they are bandits." Kiba began. "However, I can also smell some better maintained weapons, and the powders shinobi often use to try to mask their scent. I also smell the distinct odor of the metals used in Samurai armor."

"So a group of bandits, including, and possibly led by, a few people with shinobi and samurai training, have taken up residency in the ruins of Uzu." Kakashi observed, sparing a glance at the three Uzumaki.

Ino was clearly upset at the idea, but Naruto and Karin were obviously furious. The idea of their ancestral homeland being trampled upon by bandits and thieves was unacceptable. Naruto began leaking some killing intent, and his voice was sharp as he spoke. "New plan. First we drop the barrier, then we get rid of the intruders, then we search the village."

- _The Ruins of the Great Gate of Uzushiogakure-_

4 very bored bandits sat just inside the gates. Their band of bandits had taken up residency in these ruins about three years ago, and during that time these 4 particular bandits often drew gate guarding assignments. Only when they would set off to pillage villages would they be given a break from the monotonous duty. In the three years they had been there, not one person had approached the gates, other than their fellow bandits.

Before arriving at Uzu, they had all heard the rumors in the closest villages, the Land of Whirlpools was empty, and the ruins of the main village itself was a ghost town. People didn't just wander over here, it was said to be haunted.

That was exactly why their leader had led her band of followers here, and credit to her, no one had shown up trying to claim the bounties or arrest warrants on any of them. Still, they were bored.

None of these particular bandits had any knowledge of chakra, only a few members of their troop did, so they were unaware of the barrier, and were just sitting around near the gate, one of them conveniently just outside the barrier.

About one third of a kilometer away, in a small stand of trees, the Konoha ninja looked towards the gate, though most of them were unable to see anything at this point, still too much vegetation obscuring their vision. "I see one bandit." Neji observed. "He's wearing light armor, and has a battle ax. Still, he looks slow, I think even a genin could take him down easily."

"I smell three others close by, and a bunch more further inside the village." Kiba observed. Akamaru barked a couple of times, and Kiba quickly translated for everyone else: "Akamaru says the other three are probably just as weak as the guy you can see, Neji, and I agree."

"So dealing with them will be no problem," Kakashi observed, "but there are a couple of things to be concerned about."

"We can't let any of them escape and go for help." Karin pointed out, "and if the other bandits notice these 4 are missing they'll come looking."

"If they are as slow as Kiba and Neji claim, it will be easy to catch them off guard and deal with them before they can summon reinforcements." Gai pointed out.

"Still, there's the matter of the others realizing they have gone missing, I'm sure they're supposed to check in with the main camp at some point." Ino countered.

"I have a plan." Naruto finally stated, surprising everyone. Even the mostly mature, responsible young clan head that Naruto had become still enjoyed a reputation for just "winging it" or acting on instinct during combat.

Naruto grabbed a stick that was lying near by, and motioned for everyone to gather around him as he began to draw in the dirt.

- _Several Hours Later-_

Finally, night began to fall, and with it came a change of guard. Naruto and co. had taken the opportunity to rest and recover from their long journey, and as the sun slipped behind the horizon, Naruto's plan was put into action.

One of the guards who was just finishing his shift headed out of the gates, and towards a small patch of vegetation the shinobi had observed the guards using to relieve themselves throughout the day.

It was just barely hidden from view of where the new guards had set up for the night, but that was more than enough isolation for Kakashi to work in. A simple genjutsu later, and the guard was now his prisoner. Naruto then used his henge jutsu to disguise himself as the now off duty guard, and walked into the ruins of his ancestral home.

Once Naruto got to a spot where he was alone, he made a shadow clone, that was also disguised as the captive guard. The clone's duty would be to continue in to the camp, and immediately pretend to go to bed, in an attempt to keep the bandits from getting suspicious about where one of their own had wandered off to.

With the clone under way, the original doubled back, heading towards the gatehouse, just inside the barrier. Under the cover of darkness, it was easy for him to sneakily make his way to his target, but his initial attempt to infiltrate the small building was turned back. The door wouldn't budge, instead, a small seal popped up in the middle of the door.

 _So it's been locked by Fuinjutsu this whole time, eh?_ Naruto thought. He recognized the seal as one that would open just by channeling Uzumaki chakra into it, and quickly did so. The seal responded by changing color, going from a red pattern to a green one, and the next time Naruto turned the handle, it worked, and he was able to push the door open.

He quickly entered the small room, and closed the door behind him, before dropping his Henge. He then reached for a small wire running down from the collar of his shirt, and located the microphone on it, which he tapped twice.

The team hadn't wanted to risk the possibility of the bandits also having radio receivers, so instead of speaking, they were just sending non-verbal signals. The two taps of the microphone were a signal to the rest of the team that he had made it inside the gatehouse. Having checked in, he quickly surveyed his surroundings.

The room was relatively small. It jutted out from the wall on both sides, with windows allowing the occupants to see both outside the gate, and survey the area just inside it. Having studied the area, and read his mother's notes, Naruto knew that these windows were really just one way mirrors. He could look out on the bandits and their fire, but they couldn't see him.

In the center of the room, there was a small desk with two chairs, all coated with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. Naruto made his way over to the desk, before using a low level Futon technique to blow all the dust away, allowing him to get a good look at the panels.

It was about what he had expected. To the left, was a wheel that could be used to manually open or close the gate, then a seal that seemed to lock it. In the middle, there was what appeared to be a schedule, listing the Uzu shinobi who were supposed to be on duty at the gate, and at what time.

Off to the right, he found two levers, one labeled "Physical Barrier," and the other labeled "Dojutsu/Genjutsu Barrier." It was clear that these levers would activate or deactivate the two barriers, but much to Naurto's dismay, he found nothing that showed the actual Fuinjutsu formula that gave life to and powered them. His mother's own notes had implied that she had known what powered them, but she had never explicitly written down what the source was.

After getting over his initial disappointment, Naruto pulled down the lever for the sole surviving barrier, disabling it. He then tapped on his radio microphone three times, and then put two fingers on his earpiece, eagerly awaiting the response. Thirty seconds later, he heard the response, morse code: "H-a-i." Confirmation, Neji's Byakugan was able to see into the village. Several seconds later, another communication: four taps, followed by a brief pause, then two more.

It was a signal that everyone had agreed upon before Naruto had infiltrated the ruins. 4 taps was an emergency. If it was followed by a single tap, it meant that Naruto, or everyone else if he had sent the signal, should drop all pretense of stealth and get to the sender as soon as possible. If it was followed by two taps, the situation was still urgent, but not critical enough to warrant abandoning stealth.

 _So they want me back ASAP, but don't want me to reveal my presence. Most likely, Neji saw something important._ He thought. The blond Uzumaki took one last look around the guardhouse, before opening the door, slipping out, and resetting the seal, locking it. He then silently, but quickly, made his way back to his comrades outside the village.

- _In a small forested patch less than 100 meters from the gates-_

"What's up?" Naruto asked as he entered the area, only to find Ino and Karin looking apprehensive as Neji stared intently at something, Byakugan active.

"Neji found something, they are keeping a woman captive in there." Kiba said. "That's an emergency?" Naruto asked, somewhat annoyed. Of course, it was distressing that the bandits were keeping prisoners, and they'd certainly free her when they dealt with the bandits, but it wasn't really that surprising. "They're just probably holding someone for ransom." He responded.

"Naruto-kun..."Ino spoke next, with a waiver in her voice that indicated she was bothered by the situation. "Neji-san says the woman has red hair."

That stopped Naruto in his tracks. While it wasn't a guarantee that the woman was an Uzumaki, given the location it was certainly a possibility. He quickly turned to Gai: "Where is Kakashi-sensei?" "My eternal rival is getting some answers from that bandit we captured earlier." Gai responded, "such unyouthful behavior from these bandits, holding a youthful woman against her will."

"Did you say something Gai?" Kakashi said, the silver haired escort team leader appearing seemingly out of nowhere, and prompting Gai to go on one of his rants about the man's "hip" attitude.

Ignoring Gai's antics, the man was crazy after all, Naruto focused on Kakashi. "What's the situation, Sensei?" Naruto asked, in a very serious tone. "Our friend didn't know for sure if the woman was Uzumaki or not, but he said that according to rumor, the bandit leaders have been trying to force her to open doors for them." The former leader of Team 7 responded.

"So wether or not the woman in question is actually Uzumaki, the bandit leaders, most likely the Shinobi and Samurai Kiba-kun smelled, seem to think that she is." Karin said.

It would be one thing if the rabble thought that. Bandits, like most people, knew absolutely nothing about Chakra, much less Kekkai Genkai. For all they knew, every red headed person was an Uzumaki. If the Ninja or Samurai, who used chakra on a daily basis, thought the woman was Uzumaki, that lent credence to the idea.

"I think it's pretty clear what we need to do." Naruto said, getting determined looks from everyone in response, "Our first priority is to rescue that woman, then deal with the bandits. Once she's safe and the area is secure, we'll find out just who she is.

- _Kumogakure, Office of the Raikage-_

"So, the young Uzumaki is married now." "Yes, Raikage-sama." replied the jonin who was tasked with keeping track of intelligence coming from Kumo's spies in the Land of Fire.

Ay, the 4th Raikage, was a strong and powerful figure, and like his father before him, held an interest in the powers and abilities of the Uzumaki Clan. His father had gone so far as to have his subordinates attempt to kidnap Kushina, only for Minato to save her, which also served as the catalyst of Kushina's feelings for the man she would eventually marry.

Ay had learned his own lesson about kidnapping people from Konoha when he had attempted to gain the Byakugan for Kumo by ordering a subordinate to kidnap Hinata Hyuga. That too, had failed, and led to a heightened state of tension between the two villages that, over a decade later, was still present.

While Kumo had some things that it was quite well known for, such as the Storm Style Kekkai-Genaki, and producing powerful Jinchuuriki, on the whole Kumo had fewer Kekkai Genkai and secret technique holding clans than most of the other great villages, and held no dojutsu. Hence Ay's attempt to gain the Byakugan. They also had precious little knowledge of Fuinjutsu, which explained his father's attempt to take Kushina.

Still, even though Ay had learned that kidnapping was not the answer, he remained absolutely convinced that Kumo must gain more clan based abilities. The Yotsuki, and the clans that possessed Storm Style, were powerful, but there were just too few clans compared to Konoha.

"Are we sure of this boy's heritage?" Ay asked the jonin. "As sure as we can be given that we have been unable to get our hands on a non-redacted copy of his medical records." the jonin responded. "Based on his appearance, we strongly suspect he is related to Minato Namikaze. Also, he is too young to be a child of Mito Senju, and the only other Uzumaki to have been in Konoha is Kushina Uzumaki."

"So the boy is most likely the child of the Yellow Flash and the Red Hot-Blooded Habañero. Interesting." Ay said, appearing pensive, and deep in thought. After a couple of awkwardly long moments of silence, the jonin spoke again. "Shall I continue to have him monitored, Raikage-sama? I can devote on of our spies to studying the Uzumaki Clan full time if you wish."

"Huh?" Ay was startled back to reality, having been so lost in thought that he forgot he was in the middle of a briefing. "Yes, that's fine, do that. In the meantime, I think there is something that I can do as well, that will make things easier for us to keep an eye on them. You're dismissed."

"Hai, Raikage-sama." As the jonin bowed and then left, Ay pulled out a blank scroll, took one last moment to think, and then began to put pen to paper, writing down his thoughts so that he might better be able to solidify his village's policy towards the new Uzumaki Clan.

-End of Chapter-

* * *

No, Kumo isn't going to play a major part in this story, or even really a minor one, that's my other story. What you are seeing here, and will see in future chapters as well, is how the other great nations are reacting to the reestablishment of the Uzumaki Clan. I'm planning on similar scenes for Onoiki, Mei, and possibly Gaara.

Q: Why didn't Minato undergo the Uzumaki Ritual?

A: He never intended on joining the Clan. As the first Hokage to not be a member of a Clan, he planned on staying independent. The symbolism of a non-clan Hokage was important. Still, he was in love with Kushina, and married her, knowing full well that any descendant would be a member of the clan.

Q: Will other Uzumaki be present in this story, or just Naruto and Karin?

A: This chapter strongly hinted at it, didn't it? And you can thank my frequent reviewer Bankai777 for that. (Also, Bankai, you can take this as a more definitive answer to your question about a specific Uzumaki, since when I previously answered, I kinda gave you a non-answer: Yes.)

There were several comments on the ritual, and so I wanted to say that, while I made up the contents of the ritual on my own, the idea of a ritual for joining the Uzumaki Clan is one I got from another story/author.

At this time, I can't remember the story name, and haven't been able to find it, but I remember that it was a NarutoxTemari (Actually, I think it might have been NarutoxTemarixIno) fic where a side plot sees Sasuke and Sakura get married, and then divorced. This leads to Sakura's parents disowning her, since she failed Sasuke, who they worshipped. So, out of sympathy, Naruto allows her to join the Uzumaki Clan, and there is a ritual that modified her genes somewhat.

It was one of the first stories I read after discovering this site, and the idea of the ritual has stuck with me ever since.

As always, thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


	18. Chapter 18

-I don't own Naruto. Naruto was created by Kishimoto, please support the official release.-

 _Italics are thoughts. -Italics inside hyphens are the setting-_

 _"_ _Italics in quotation marks represent the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu/Shindenshin Jutsu (Telepathy) of the Yamanka Clan"_

* * *

- _The Land of Earth: Iwagakure, the Village Hidden in the Stone-_

Onoiki sat at his desk, reflecting. The old man held no love for Konoha, and watching them slowly rebuild their two most important clans over the past couple of years had been disheartening and worrying. Now, it seemed that the Uzumaki would be added to the list of powerful clans upon which Konoha could call. Naturally, this was of great concern to Iwagakure, where Konoha was considered their most hated enemy.

Ever since Konoha had announced the revival of the Uzumaki Clan the previous year, Iwa's spies had been digging up as much information as possible, and a year later that information was finally on Onoiki's desk, compiled into one big report for him.

It was very thorough. Detailed reports on finances, strengths and weaknesses of the three known members, their associates, possible allies and enemies within the village, and abroad. Among all the details, one particular paragraph stood out to him.

" _The Clan's new leader is a young boy named Naruto Uzumaki. He is 16 years old, and a jonin of Konoh_ _a_ _'s barrier Corp, by the time this report is filed, he will be married to the daughter of Inoichi Yamanaka. He appears to be only partially Uzumaki, since he lacks the clan's distinctive hair color. His appearance is highly reminiscent of The Namikaze, but it is well known that The Namikaze had no children. Tsunade Senju seems to view the boy like family, so perhaps he_ _is the offspring of some union between survivors of the two clans?_ "

Minato Namikaze, or simply "The Namikaze" as Iwa referred to him, was the single most hated man in the entire Land of Earth. If there was definitive evidence that this Naruto was The Namikaze's child, than every single resident of Iwa would gladly follow Onoiki to the metaphorical gates of hell to kill him. Such was the collective hatred Iwa felt for their old enemy, that a lesser Tsuchikage may have declared war just based on the fact that the boy looked so much like the Yellow Flash, but Onoiki wasn't known as the "Fence Sitter" without reason.

The intelligence archives of Iwa were full of conspiracy theories about the possible survival, or existence of relatives of, The Namikaze. The village conspiracy theorists were fully consumed by the idea that the single most evil man to ever exist, at least as far as the Stone village was concerned, was still alive. If Onoiki listened to all of them, the village would constantly be at war.

Unless the spies proved without a doubt that Minato Namikaze had a child, and that child was this "Naruto," or if they proved the old conspiracy theory that the Yellow Flash was secretly the child of Jiraya and Tsunade, Iwa would watch and wait. The moment it was confirmed that a relative of that man still lived, Onoiki would issue an ultimatum to turn said relative over to Iwagakure for immediate execution, and if that was ignored, there would be war!

With those thoughts on his mind, Onoiki wrote a response to the head of the village's spy network in the Land of Fire: " _Continue to monitor the Uzumaki Clan, but do not pay them any more special attention than you do the Uchiha or Senju. Assume the boy_ _has no connection to TN_ _unless you have definitive proof otherwise. Do not allow some conspiracy theory to lead you to pull resources away from spying on all of the other 9 clans, and on their military forces in general. We've wasted far too many resources chasing down T_ _N's_ _phantom relatives, only to constantly proved wrong_ _. I won't allow it_ _anymore._ _"_

- _The Ruins of Uzu-_

Neji had just finished using a stick to draw a rough map of Uzu in the dirt, as Kakashi went over the plans for rescuing the mysterious red-headed woman. "We'll split into two teams. Neji, Gai, and I will maintain a secure area and standby to help as needed. Naruto, Ino, Kiba, and Karin will sneak through one of the holes in the walls, and go rescue the woman."

"She's currently being held in a cage inside this building" Neji said, pointing to a large rectangle near the center of his rudimentary map. "I think if you approach from here," he said pointing to a spot on the opposite side of the ruins from their current location, "it should minimize the amount of enemies you encounter en route to your destination."

"Once we have her," Naruto said, "Karin-chan and Ino-chan will get her out of the ruins and head to our rendezvous point, while Kiba and I cover their exit. It'll be the middle of the night, so hopefully most of the guards will be sleeping and we won't have to fight, but Kiba and I will be ready in case stealth fails."

"No." Ino responded, "I'm supposed to be your bodyguard, not Kiba-kun, I'm not leaving your side." "Ino-chan," Naruto said, trying to reason with her, "I appreciate how much better you have gotten these last few months, but Kiba and I are still far stronger than you. We don't have a three year gap in our training."

"Naruto, as someone who has been married a few years longer than you, all you're doing is making it so she is going to be mad at you for a longer period of time." Kakashi said, knowing from experience, and given that Ino was even more fiery and stubborn than Shizune...Kakashi really hoped Naruto wised up, and quick.

"Ok, ok, fine. Ino-chan will be with me, and Kiba will be with Karin-chan." Naruto said, the look of murderous intent in Ino's eyes and Kakshi's words of advice combining to win him over.

"Everyone clear on the plan?" Kakashi asked, making sure to make eye contact with everyone in order to confirm. "Yosh, Naruto-kun, signal us if your team needs help, and we'll youthfully charge in to assist. If I end up causing problems for you, I will run 10,000 laps around the ruins of Uzu on nothing more that my index fingers!" Gai said, in what was the loudest whisper anyone had ever heard, trying to keep his voice down given their proximity to the gates, but unable to contain his enthusiasm.

Neji looked extremely embarrassed at his sensei's actions, but then again he and Tenten were well known to be the only reasonably sane members of their old team, so no one held Gai's antics against the Hyuga.

"All right, good luck guys, stay safe." Neji said, and as the four current and future Uzumaki were leaving, The four of them just nodded in return, acknowledging Neji's words, but focusing on their mission.

 _-One Hour Later-_

Uzu was surrounded by walls on three sides, and the ocean on the fourth. The Walls only had two gates, but over the years of neglect, a few cracks had opened up in the walls. One such crack was actually big enough for people to fit through, and it was here that the Uzumaki stopped and prepared to sneak into the ruins of their home.

Ino and Naruto waited for Kiba, Akamaru, and Karin to finish a preliminary reconnaissance, which consisted of Karin sitting in a meditative position, eyes closed, totally focused on her sensory abilities, while Kiba and Akamaru alternated between sniffing around the area and guarding Karin.

Kiba and Akamaru were finished long before Karin was, they were just sniffing out the immediate area where as Karin was trying to use her sensory ability to figure out the movement patters of the guards, something that took much more concentration than just identifying where a chakra signature was.

About an hour after they parted ways with the escort team, and a half hour after they arrived at the infiltration point, Karin finally stirred. "No good, they don't have any patterns to their movements. The good news is that our immediate vicinity is clear, and the area around their captive is only lightly guarded, and by people who have pathetically low chakra signatures, we shouldn't have too much trouble."

"Where are the people with larger chakra signatures?" Ino asked. "About half a kilometer from the building our potential clanswoman is in. In the center of the main bandit camp, the outskirts of which stop right before the building we need to go to." Karin responded.

"Alright, we're shinobi, that's doable." Naruto said. "Stealth is our objective everyone. That being said, quiet kills are ok. Once we have the woman, it doesn't matter if they discover bodies or not. We just don't want to draw attention to ourselves while we are infiltrating."

Everyone nodded, taking his words to heart. The Uzumaki would kill to protect their own, or in this case, people that were possibly their own. Naruto looked each of the other three humans and one dog in the eye, making sure everyone was ready, and then gave the Konoha hand signal for "move out."

Five shadows crept through the hole in the perimeter wall. As Kiba, Akamaru, and Karin had all discovered, it was unguarded.

They found themselves in a very ruined section of Uzu. No buildings were recognizable, but the amount of rubble indicated this area had once been home to many buildings. A study of Kushina's maps and notes prior to infiltration had revealed that this area had once been predominately residential, for the non-Uzumaki citizens of the village.

However, due to its close location to a perimeter wall, it had been leveled in the final assault, and the ensuing inferno. It was a testament to just how strong the walls of Uzu were, that they still stood with only a few large cracks and holes, while everything next to them was completely destroyed.

Moving swiftly, they made their way towards the central part of the ruins, what had once been the government district, the ruins of which housed the captive woman, and just beyond, the bandits' main encampment.

Given that the bandits had been in the ruins for years and had never encountered intruders, most of their security was keeping people out of the ruins. Within the ruins, there were relatively few guards, and the Uzumaki team found that it was quite easy to make it to their destination undetected.

Just before arriving at their destination, they stopped and hid themselves behind a pile of rubble, as Karin and Kiba went to work, using their abilities to check the area around the mysterious woman.

Both were in agreement, there was just one guard. Karin added that he seemed to have larger and stronger chakra reserves than most of the bandits, indicating he likely had some shinobi or samurai training. But even then, his chakra seemed to be at the same level of refinement of a rookie genin, or perhaps talented academy student. Nothing that would pose a threat to a group of four chunin and jonin. Quickly and quietly dispatching the guard would the be easy part.

The hard part, as Ino pointed out, would be convincing the poor, captive woman that they were there to help her, and to that end the newest member of the Uzumaki clan had a plan that she thought would work. After a few moments of discussion and debate, everyone agreed that Ino's plan was a good idea, and almost immediately they went to work, putting it into action.

The bandit guarding the prisoner was bored. The woman never caused any problems, any will to resist the bandits' orders had long been beaten out of her, and her cell was generally kept well stocked of food and water. The boss wanted the woman to be in good health, physically at least. Guards were really only there so that someone could respond in case of emergency. It was a boring assignment.

So he was surprised when a dog nonchalantly strolled into the crumbling building. There was a small population of feral animals around the ruins of Uzu, descendants of pets who had survived the village's destruction, but they generally avoided the human inhabitants.

Curious, the guard slowly moved closer to the dog, who seemed frozen in fear, as if it had just realized there were humans present. The guard continued to creep forward, and as he did so, he passed a hole in the wall.

Crouched in vegetation on the other side of the hole in the wall wall were Naruto and Ino, and the former Yamanaka had her hands and arms out in a familiar position: The Shintenshin, the same technique she had tried to use on Sakura in those first chunin exams years ago.

With her target now in sight, she gave her husband a quick kiss after muttering "wish me luck" and then activated the jutsu. As her soul raced towards her target, her body crumpled into Naruto's arms, as he began his part of the plan: guard his wife's body until she returned to it.

In a matter of just a few seconds, Ino found herself fully in control of the bandit's body, with Akamaru looking at her curiously, wondering who was now in control. "Good job, Akamaru-kun." She said, letting him know she had succeeded "you made the perfect decoy."

Ino then turned around to face the hole in the wall, and blew a kiss towards Naruto, letting him know she had succeeded, but her husband seemed to have mixed feelings about seeing a grown, scraggly, scruffy bandit blow him a kiss, even if his wife's soul was currently occupying the body.

Having let Akamaru and Naruto know that she was safely in control of the bandit, Ino busied herself by taking stock of what her current host body had on it. _Let's see here. We've got a rusty machete, a pair of handcuffs...aha! This key must open the woman's cell._

Key in hand, Ino made her way to the cell. The woman was awake, and before Ino could say anything she stood up from her "bed" and faced the far wall, hands behind her back in a position that would make it incredibly easy for someone to put handcuffs on her. Clearly, the woman had been broken to the point of compliance, and it made Ino's heart sink a little.

Ino quickly unlocked and opened the door, before softly saying "turn around please," though it sounded strange since it was in the bandit's voice.

The woman complied, but seemed confused by the fact that she hadn't been cuffed, and that her guard was being polite. She continued to silently stand against the wall, silently, clearly waiting for instructions.

Due to the fact that her birth clan specialized in the workings of the mind, Ino had some knowledge of what prisoners can go through mentally, and given how compliant she was, Ino was worried that she might resist the opportunity to escape, either out of fear of being caught and punished, or some form of Stockholm syndrome.

So rather than offering her freedom, Ino simply stayed in character, and adopted an authoritative tone: "Follow me, Prisoner." She walked out of the cell, and was pleased to see that she was followed by the red headed woman, and then quickly offered a "remain silent until I tell you that you can speak." Which was really designed to prevent her from possibly making noise and alerting other guards.

Before Ino left the decrepit building, she tried to activate the shindenshin jutsu, to let the other Uzumaki know what was going on, and to stay out of sight of the woman, but while this guard had some control of chakra, his reserves were far too weak for her to be able to use a technique of the level of the Shindenshin.

Instead, as soon as she set foot outside she was using Konoha Sign Language, a hand sign based language that served two purposes: communicating with deaf and mute residents of the village, and serving as a fully functional, non verbal language for shinobi to communicate with each other in instances where sound wasn't an option.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Naruto was reading her signals, and going out of his way to stay out of sight of the woman, still protectively holding Ino's actual body. Kiba, Karin, and Akamaru also seemed to get the message, because she wasn't able to see them at all.

Ino retraced her steps back towards the hole in the wall, followed by the mysterious red-head. She was on edge the whole time, but thankfully, they made it without incident. At the wall, Ino closed the distance between the woman and her, placing the bandit's hand over the woman's mouth, preventing her from making noise as Naruto, Kiba, and Karin revealed themselves.

"Everyone get out clear?" Naruto asked once Ino had guided the former prisoner through the hole, and everyone was safely on the outside of the ruins. "Yeah, I had to take out one guard before he noticed our guest, but I hid his body well enough." Kiba responded.

"Let's just hurry," Ino said, still possessing the bandit's body. "This body is gross, and I want to get out of it as soon as possible, but I figure we'll let Kakashi-sensei interrogate the guy."

"We'll move faster if we don't have to deal with her." Kiba said, motioning to the women who Ino still had a hold of, and who was clearly having some sort of panic attack, struggling to break free of bandit/Ino's grasp.

"I'll take care of it." Karin said, and quickly put a light, low level genjutsu on the woman, putting her to sleep.

"Once we get back and Ino gets back into her body, we'll talk to our guest here, while we let Kakashi-sensei talk to Ino's current host." Naruto said. "Tomorrow we're going to kick the bandits out of Uzu. Wether they leave alive or dead is dependent on if they've been holding one of our clanswomen prisoner or not."

- _Back at their basecamp-_

 _Phew, I'm glad to be back in my own body._ Ino thought, as she watched Kakashi drag the startled bandit she had been inhabiting off for a "little chit-chat." She then mentally ran through the "post shintenshin checklist." A quick check of their body that every Yamanaka was trained to do upon releasing the jutsu. Of course, given that her husband had been guarding her body, nothing was off.

She then turned to said husband and offered him a lewd smile: "Have any fun with my body while I wasn't using it, Naru-kun?"

"What? No way! We're in the middle of a mission! Besides, I'd never do anything to your body without your consent." Naruto protested, causing Ino to put on a fake frown. "Really? You were able to resist the charms of my body? I gotta say, sometimes I wonder if you really are the legendary pervert's apprentice or not, Naruto-kun. If the roles had been reversed, I'd have been all over you.."

"Hmph." Naruto grunted, "unlike the Pervy Sage, I'm actually able to tell the difference between the time to be serious and the time for fun. Also, I think my definition of consent is a little stricter than his." Obviously not wanting to get into detail about their sex life in front of everyone, Naruto quickly changed the subject: when is our guest going to wake up, Karin-chan?"

"Whenever you're ready for her, Naruto-sama. I can release the genjutsu at any time."

Naruto nodded to Karin, then turned to speak to Gai, currently the most senior shinobi with the group, since Kakashi was off doing a preliminary interrogation of their most recent prisoner. "Gai-sensei, we're going to to go speak to the woman, I'd like some privacy, just my clan members."

"Of course, Naruto-kun. Just be sure to send your youthful wife over to my eternal rival at some point, after all her Yamanaka training will be useful in interrogating our captives!"

"Couldn't she have just read his memories while she was inhabiting his body?" Neji asked.

"No, I was too busy focusing on getting in and out as quickly and quietly as possible." Ino said. "Remember, my Yamanaka training isn't actually complete."

That was a lie. In his quest to curry favor with some member of the new Uzumaki Clan, Danzo had made sure his Yamanaka subordinates had given Ino a full clan education. Still, since the clan had officially stopped training her, she had to pretend like she only had a genin's skill level in Yamanaka secret techniques. Not even Naruto knew her true skill level, though she wasn't consciously withholding that information from him.

"Let's go," Naruto said, motioning to Ino and Karin, before picking up the woman. Kiba started to follow them as well, having been counted as an Uzumaki for most of this mission. However, Naruto held up a hand to him. "Sorry Kiba, but this one is for current Uzumaki only, there's a big difference between seeing our clan home and having a discussion where clan secrets might possibly come up."

Karin actually looked a bit upset, and despite her usual unquestioning loyalty to Naruto, looked like she might actually protest against leaving her betrothed out, but Kiba forestalled any protests by insisting that he understood, and that it didn't bother him.

A few minutes later, after making sure they were out of earshot of everyone else, Naruto leaned the woman against another tree, and directed Karin to release the genjutsu. For a moment, the woman showed no reaction, but slowly she began to stir.

When her eyes finally opened, it took a bit for her to process where she was, and her immediate reaction was fear. Clearly, she was worried not about who the strangers around her were, but what the bandits would do to her. Her initial action was just to leave and go back to her captors, hoping she could convince them to have mercy, it wasn't her fault that she escaped.

Eventually, Naruto, Karin, and Ino convinced the woman that she was safe, and she finally seemed to calm down, allowing the three Uzumaki to finally have a conversation with her.

"Hi there, my name's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki, this is my wife Ino, and my clanswoman Karin. What's your name?" Naruto's voice was soft as he spoke, the woman had only just calmed down, he did not want to get her riled up again.

"H-Honoka." Came a clearly nervous response. "It's nice to meet you, Honoka-san. Do you happen to know your family name?" Ino asked. "No." The woman responded. "I've never known my family." "I'm sorry to hear that, I'm an orphan myself, so I know what it's like, though obviously I have family now thanks to these two." Naruto said, pointing to Ino and Karin.

"Honoka-san...how did you get to be a prisoner?" Karin asked, adjusting her glasses as she did.

"I was raised by a team of scientists on an island." Honoka said began, "They used my blood to seal things, but overall they were very kind to me. Some of them even treated me like a family member. I lived in that research facility most of my life. One day a monster killed everyone. I only escaped by playing dead." As she spoke, she grew more and more emotional. "A couple days later, Kazuko-sama and her crew showed up and insisted I come with them. I've been with them ever sense."

Naruto, Ino, and Karin listened with baited breath as Honoka recounted her life's story. It gave them quite a few clues. If scientists were using her blood for sealing, it was almost assured that she was an Uzumaki, even if she had no knowledge of the clan. The name Kazuko was also a clue, and almost immediately after Honoka mentioned the name, Naruto had a bingo book out, and was rifling through it.

Finding an entry for a kunoichi by that name, Naruto showed Honoka the picture, and it turned out to be a match. Kazuko Tamagachi was a missing-nin who had previously been affiliated with one of the minor villages, Getsugakure. She had apparently defected because she wasn't being given difficult enough assignments.

Kazuko was listed as an A rank Shinobi, with bounties on her head from a number of nations, two major nations and four minor ones wanted her dead, and her old home of Getsugakure wanted her dead or alive. Turning her over to them dead, and providing proof to all the other villages that wanted her dead would provide a good chunk of ryo to whoever did it.

The extra intel helped, and the three Uzumaki pressed ahead with a light interrogation of their likely elder clanswoman, with Ino taking the lead due to the fact that she had the most training for things like this. They learned a lot of details about the bandits from her, as well as her daily life.

Honoka was fed well, and allowed to exercise for a little bit each day, but was generally kept in her cage unless her blood was needed. She was being used to activate and deactivate seals in various places around the ruins, and had been a captive for about two years, having been taken prisoner when she was 22 years old. At 24, she was the oldest known Uzumaki, with everyone else 16.

Then came the difficult questions: Had anyone ever bitten her and sucked out blood or chakra? The answer was, thankfully, no. Either Honoka wasn't a pure blood, or her captors didn't know about that particular Kekkai Genkai. Had she ever been raped? Again, thankfully no. Had she ever been beaten? Yes, at first it happened almost every day, but after she stopped resisting her captors it was generally used only as a punishment.

Everyone's face turned a little darker after that, Naruto especially, and he hardly said anything for the rest of their discussion.

Finally, it was time for the big reveal: "Honoka-san, our clan, the Uzumaki Clan, is known for being able to seal things, and those ruins are the ruins of our home village. If your blood opens seals there, that means you're a member of our clan too. A member of our family. If you can prove that you can open such seals, we'd love for you to come home with us after this is all over."

"Wha-What?" Honoka froze. This was a metaphorical bombshell that she had not been expecting. "It's ok if you need to think about it, we came here to do our own expedition of the ruins, so after we kick the bandits out we'll still be here for a while." Karin added when the woman showed no reaction.

"You...you can't beat them, there's so many of them, and only three of you." Honoka said, concerned. "There's actually seven of us," Ino responded, "And we're all shinobi. Kazuko will be a challenge for us, but the regular bandits will be a piece of cake." Only when Ino brought up the fact that they were shinobi did Honoka notice the headbands they all wore, marking them as ninja of Konoha. In that moment, she had an epiphany.

"Yes, please." "Yes what, Honoka-san?" "Please take me with you." "Of course," Karin said, smiling. On the off chance this woman wasn't an Uzumaki, Konoha still had a program to resettle refugees, and this woman's situation was bad enough that she'd clearly have a strong case for asylum. Especially with a clan backing her claim, which the Uzumaki certainly would.

"If you don't mind, could you show us what your blood can do?" Naruto asked, he had been writing a seal during the last part of the conversation, and produced almost the exact same type of seal that he had used to convince Karin that he was an Uzumaki.

The prospect of actually having a real family was too much for Honoka to ignore, and she willingly let Ino take a small amount of her blood, which, when a little chakra was channeled into it, opened the seal. "It worked! Seems we're related, Honoka-chan!" Ino said, giving the older woman a hug, joined shortly by Karin.

When the embrace was over, all three women looked to Naruto, who stood by, a far off look in his eyes. "Uzumaki Honoka." Naruto said, his voice a bit distant as well, "as head of the Uzumaki Clan I promise you that no one will ever hurt you like that again. Come on, we should head back to the others."

20 minutes later, after whirlwind introductions to Kakashi, Gai, Neji, Kiba, and Akamaru, a mentally and emotionally exhausted Honoka fell asleep, as Naruto grimly gazed into the fire, it was about two hours until dawn. "Naruto, what's on your mind?" Kakashi said, sitting down next to his old student. "They hurt a member of my clan." Naruto said, his voice totally void of emotion. "Every single one of them dies. No mercy."

Unknown to them, the guards at the main gate of Uzu had quite an eventful shift. When their night had just begun, Naruto had been sneaking into the village to deactivate the seals that prevented Neji's Byakugan from looking into the village. Now, at the end of their shift, their deaths came swiftly, as Naruto clones jumped down from the walls, each one stabbing a Kunai into one of the bandit's heads as they landed.

With the gate guards out of the way, an army of Naruto and Karin clones snuck into the camp. The vast majority of the bandits were still asleep, and the clones simply entered the tents and slit their throats. An unlucky few were awake, but the vast majority of them simply didn't have the skill or chakra abilities to resist. There were some who could fight back, and even managed to dispel a clone or two, but these bandits were quickly overwhelmed by the large number of clones that had been sent into the ruins.

By the time six shinobi waltzed into the ruins of Uzu, there weren't many bandits left to fight. The clones had killed the vast majority of the bandit force, with only Kazuko Tamagachi, her two samurai body guards, and a small few others still holding out.

Each of the six shinobi heard a voice in their ear: Neji was back at camp, both to watch over Honoka and to provide information on the fight as he watched with his Byakugan, and thanks to the radio transmitters they were using, each Shinobi heard his plan.

The challenge would be Kazuko and her guards. The remaining clones could easily handle the others, and should be directed to do so. Meanwhile, Kakashi and Gai would distract the guards, while at Naruto's request Kazuko would be personally dealt with by the surviving members of the Uzumaki Clan.

As Naruto, Karin, Kiba, Ino, Gai, and Kakashi made their way toward Kazuko's location, any and all clones they ran across were told to make their way to the ruins of the Uzumaki temple, where the last few bandit holdouts besides their leader and her guards were. Once these stragglers were dealt with, the clones should dispel as quickly as possible, Naruto and Karin would need as much Chakra as possible for the upcoming fight.

Finally, their targets came into view. Kazuko had taken to higher ground, and was perched on top of one of the exterior walls, near where it met the ocean. Her long turquoise hair seemed to match the color of the sea as it swung about while she fought. On her head, the standard Getsugakure headband, which featured a crescent moon, had a large slash through the middle of it, indicating her choice to sever her allegiance to her old home.

At her side were two Samurai. Personal features of the two of them couldn't really be made out because of their thick armor, but it was clear that these were no ordinary samurai. Chakra was clearly being used to make their blades sharper, stronger, and faster. Clearly, these were ronin from the Land of Iron.

Sharp kicks from Gai and Kakashi surprised the two Samurai, who had been focusing on the clones around them, and they were knocked off the wall, leaving Kazuko by alone. Before she could even react to the sudden attack on her guards, the Getsugakure missing-nin was on the defensive, as 5 assailants attacked her.

"Children? Konoha sends Children after me?!" She said, incredulously, "The nerve of the great villages. Its because of places like Konoha that I couldn't find any challenging work and left home, and now they have the nerve to send children after me?!"

Any further complaining from Kazuko was quickly silenced. Individually, none of the Uzumaki were a match for her, but collectively they were proving to be a thorn in her side. Their teamwork was just too good.

Naruto and Ino, having trained together just about every day for a bit over a year, were perfectly in sync with each other. Ino's skills were best suited to a support role, which was fine because due to his incredible chakra reserves, Naruto was more of a brawler and a tank then anything else.

Naruto would fight while Ino would run through hand signs or make a fuinjutsu seal. Once it was ready, Naruto would disengage at just the perfect time, not giving Kazuko even a moment before Ino would fire off her technique, which was immediately followed up with a furious charge from the former Yamanaka heiress, pressing ahed with Uzumaki style Taiujutsu until her attack ran of out steam, at which point either Naruto would jump back in, or the fight would shift over to Karin, Kiba, and Akamaru.

Having spent their whole ninja careers together, Kiba and Akamaru were the ultimate example of incredible teamwork, and both worked well with Karin as well. Kiba and Akamaru would keep Kazuko distracted while Karin would prepare a technique, or wait for the right moment to lash out with her chains.

Slowly, they were wearing her down, but Kazuko seemed to be enjoying herself. "You kids are better than I thought you would be, and it was so kind of you to bring me a new Uzumaki." She said, staring at Karin as she did so. "Once I finish off the rest of you and beat the resistance out of her I can get back to learning the secrets of this place."

"You bitch!" Kiba yelled, growling and stepping in front of Karin. "Lay even one hand on her and I'll kill you."

"My my, so protective aren't we dog boy? What is she, your girlfriend?"

Kiba was provoked, and lashed out in rage, doing his best to defend Karin. Unfortunately, his mind was so clouded by his anger at what Kazuko wanted to do to fiance, that he missed the hand signs she was running through, and spikes of earth shot up, impaling Kiba. Both of his arms had been pierced, and one spike was sticking out of his lower left torso. No vital organs had been hit, but there was the distinct possibility that he'd bleed out.

Possibly hoping to speed that possibility up, Kazuko created a mud wall right underneath him, and in addition to dealing a direct hit to him, the mud wall pushed Kiba off of the spikes and launched him off the Uzu wall, where he collapsed into a heap on the ground.

"Kiba-kun!" Karin cried, rushing to his side. Akamaru looked conflicted, he clearly wanted to attend to his master as well, but wasn't comfortable abandoning Naurto and Ino to fight a superior foe alone. "It's ok, Akamaru, we've got this." Ino said, letting Akamaru take off. Her attention then turned to Naruto, actually, almost everyone who could still fight turned their attention to Naruto, and the distinctly foul KI he began giving off.

- _Karin & Kiba-_

"Hold on, Kiba-kun." Karin said with a hint of desperation in her voice, as green chakra came off her hands. No one had ever really bothered to train her in medical ninjutsu, but thanks to her new friendships in Konoha she had at least learned the mystic palm from Sakura, and through her time as a researcher for Orochimaru, she new enough anatomy to diagnose the problem.

Kiba had three holes going clean through his body. The most serious one was on his torso, with the other two, both much smaller, on his arms. Thankfully, bones and vital organs had all avoided being punctured. Also, due to the impact he took from the mudwall, he had a couple of fractured ribs and a concussion.

As Naruto's monstrous chakra flared up, Karin pushed all the red flags her sensory abilities were raising to the side, Kiba needed her focused. It was an easy task to close up the wounds on his arms and heal the fractured ribs. Mystic palm could take care of that no problem.

It was as she was working on the hole in his torso, that Kiba seemed to become aware of what was going on. "K-Karin."

"Shh, save your strength, Kiba-kun. I'll have you patched up soon, but this wound is a bit too big for me to just magically heal with chakra. I'll fix it up and get you out of danger, but you'll need to rest so it can heal."

A few moments later, Karin seemed satisfied that Kiba wasn't going to die, and began to remove his jacket and shirt, so that she could wrap his torso up in bandages. Normally, the well defined chest of the man in her life would have caused her to blush, or at least internally perv out for a moment, but she was a woman on a mission.

Once he was all wrapped up, she offered her arm up to her boyfriend. "Bite me, Kiba-kun." "N-No." Kiba said, aware of how Karin had been mistreated in the past because of her healing abilities. "I won't give you another scar to haunt you."

"Baka." Karin muttered. "Kiba, you need to get your strength back so you can heal, my chakra will help. Please." "No. I know how all those people biting you hurt you, I know what it did to your mother, and I swore to myself that I would never break the trust Naruto placed in me when he set us up."

"Kiba-kun. those other people in Kusa were just abusing me, I'd never willingly let them bite me. But you, you're important to me. I want you to do this, because I know that it will help you heal quicker. Seeing you like this hurts me, because I love you."

Kiba didn't react for a few seconds, processing Karin's battle field confession. Finally, he spoke. "I love you too, Karin-chan. I promise I'll never do this without your consent." And with those words, he sunk his sharp canines, a hallmark of the Inuzuka Clan, into the arm Karin had offered to him.

After he finished, Karin lay his head back onto the ground, she'd been cradling it the whole time, placing his jacket underneath it as a pillow. "I need to go now, Kiba-kun. It seems like Ino-sama needs my help getting Naruto-sama to calm down. I'll be right back though. Don't go anywhere."

"Be safe." Kiba said, as Akamaru walked over and lay down next to him, and the two of them watched the fiery redhead run back towards the walls of Uzu.

- _With Naruto and Ino-_

Almost immediately after Akamaru ran off, the fowl KI Naruto had been giving off gave way to something that Ino had only heard stories of: The Bijuu Cloak. This was not her Naruto, it was clear that the man she loved was not in control of his body at the moment.

His eyes had gone to a dark red and become more angular, his teeth became more like fangs, claws began to form as he dropped to all fours, all while the orange coat gave way to a single tail.

"Fuck." Was all Kazuko managed to say. She was a good shinobi, but not good enough to match with a jinchuuriki. Before she could react any further, a claw like wave of orange-red chakra shot out and severed her head clean off of her body.

Almost immediately, Kakashi was beside Ino. "What happened here?" "Kakashi-sensei! Kazuko almost killed Kiba, and Naruto-kun just snapped!"

"It's ok, Ino. Gai's just searching the bodies of the samurai, then he'll come and get you out of here, leave this to me."

"No! I will not leave my husband!" Naruto, meanwhile, had turned around, and was now glaring and growling at Kakashi and Ino. "Naruto-kun, it's me, it's Ino-chan." She pleaded with him, "don't you recognize me?"

Apparently he didn't because he lunged at them, and only Kakashi's timely shove got Ino out of the way.

"N-Naruto." For a brief moment, the idea that Naruto of all people would try to attack her was heartbreaking for his wife. Then, her resolve steeled. This wasn't her husband, Naruto would never raise a hand to her like this. This was the fox, he had some how taken control of Naruto.

Kakashi lunged back at Naruto, a suppression tag in his hand. He was able to get through and apply the tag directly to Naruto's forehead, but nothing happened. For whatever reason, the tag didn't work. "Why didn't it work?" Ino asked aloud, and the answer came in the form of Karin, who had joined them on the walls after patching up Kiba.

"Basic suppression seals don't always work." the redhead said. "Jinchuuriki require a very specific type of suppression tag. If the person who designed the tag doesn't know enough about Fuinjutsu, they might not have made it correctly."

"I thought Jiraya-sama made the tags?" Ino screamed. "Eh, no, I kinda ran out of them, I made this one myself. Obviously there was a problem." Kakashi said, sheepishly.

Her resolve firm again, Ino's first instinct was to use the Shintenshin, go inside Naruto's mind, and free him. She raised her hands in the familiar position, but was interrupted by Karin. "No, Ino-sama. It's too dangerous for you to go in there when he's like this. Help me with the seal."

 _The Seal? Oh right! That seal!_

 _-Flashback, The Uzumaki Temple on the Outskirts of Konoha-_

"Karin-chan, Ino-chan. This seal is really important. I need you both to make sure you learn it." Naruto said, suddenly very serious. Just seconds earlier, he had been joking around with the two of them as they continued to practice Uzumaki Fuinjutsu, but after turning the page in his treatise, and seeing what the next seal was used for, his demeanor had suddenly changed.

"Of course, Naruto-kun. But why?" Ino asked.

"This seal. If I ever lose myself to the Kyuubi again this seal just might be the thing that saves you from me."

- _Present, the ruins of Uzu-_

Kakashi and Gai were doing their best to distract the One-Tailed Naruto as Ino and Karin franticly worked on an intricate string of kanji and symbols. This seal was one that both had dutifully learned, but neither had hoped they would need to use.

As opposed to a normal suppression seal, which in theory would work to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra, as Jiraya had done in the past, this seal was much stronger. Not only did it suppress the Kyuubi's chakra, but Naruto's as well. It meant that he'd be unconscious longer, but the exchange was that it was almost guaranteed to be effective.

"It's done." Karin said, holding the tag in her hands, only for Ino to snatch it away and charge at Naruto. Karin and Kakashi both screamed at her to stop, but Ino wasn't willing to listen. Her body came into contact with the Bijuu Cloak, burning her skin, but even still she didn't stop. Instead, she lunged at Naruto. Even as her whole body came into contact with the Bijuu Cloak, she succeeded in applying the tag.

Immediately, the cloak disappeared, and Naruto began to slump to the ground, unconscious. Relieved, Ino wrapped her arms around him, only for the two of them to hit the ground together in one heap.

Her mission completed, Ino succumbed to the pain of her chakra burns, and passed out, as Kakashi, Karin, and now even Gai raced forward. The last thing she heard before the darkness fully took her, was Kakashi's voice. "Well, I know from my time with both Kushina and Naruto that Uzumaki are incredibly stubborn. I guess in that way, Ino fits right in. So reckless."

- _End of Chapter-_

* * *

Thanks for reading,

-Col. Bogey


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